^7 
 
^his* 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 LYRASIS members and Sloan Foundation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/phantomship1896marr 
 
THE NOVELS 
 
 OF 
 
 CAPTAIN MARRYAT 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 R. BRIMLEY JOHNSON 
 
This Edition of Captain Marry af s NovelSf 
 
 made exclusively for members of the 
 
 NEW YORK YACHT CLUB 
 
 is strictly limited to one hundred copies. 
 
 Copy No. ^ 5 
 
 PRINTED FOR 
 
 H. A. VAN LIEfT, Esq. 
 
 A^ 
 
NEW YORK YACHT CLUB EDITION 
 
 THE PHANTOM SHIP 
 
 BY 
 CAPTAIN MARRYAT 
 
 NEW YORK 
 CROSCUP AND COMPANY 
 
 MDCCCXCVI 
 
mtrf^ 
 
Contents 
 
 Chapter i 
 
 > 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 Chapter ii 
 
 
 
 
 13 
 
 Chapter hi 
 
 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 Chapter iv 
 
 
 
 
 
 33 
 
 Chapter v 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 46 
 
 Chapter vi 
 
 
 
 
 
 55 
 
 Chapter vii 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 64 
 
 Chapter viii 
 
 
 
 
 
 71 
 
 Chapter ix 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 85 
 
 Chapter x 
 
 
 
 
 
 97 
 
 Chapter xi 
 
 
 
 
 
 III 
 
 Chapter xii . 
 
 
 
 
 
 127 
 
 Chapter xiii . 
 
 
 
 
 
 141 
 
 Chapter xiv , 
 
 
 
 
 
 152 
 
 Chapter xv 
 
 
 
 
 
 163 
 
 Chapter xvi 
 
 
 
 
 
 172 
 
 Chapter xvii . 
 
 
 
 
 184 
 
 Chapter xviii . 
 
 
 
 
 196 
 
 Chapter xix 
 
 
 
 
 216 
 
 Chapter xx « , 
 
 6 f , 
 
 ' 223 
 
 Chapter xxi . 
 
 c 229 
 
 Chapter xxn , 
 
 , 
 
 * 
 
 « 
 
 
 245 
 
VI 
 
 Contents 
 
 Chapter xxiii . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 249 
 
 Chapter xxiv . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 262 
 
 Chapter xxv . 
 
 
 
 
 
 267 
 
 Chapter xxvi . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 270 
 
 Chapter xxvii . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 278 
 
 Chapter xxviii . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 284 
 
 Chapter xxix . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 288 
 
 Chapter xxx . 
 
 
 
 
 
 294 
 
 Chapter xxxi . 
 
 
 
 
 
 304 
 
 Chapter xxxii . 
 
 
 
 
 
 ' 311 
 
 Chapter xxxiii . 
 
 
 
 
 
 318 
 
 Chapter xxxiv . 
 
 
 
 
 
 326 
 
 Chapter xxxv . 
 
 
 
 
 
 331 
 
 Chapter xxxvi . 
 
 
 
 
 
 335 
 
 Chapter xxxvii 
 
 
 
 
 
 340 
 
 Chapter xxxv hi . 
 
 
 
 
 
 348 
 
 Chapter xxxix . 
 
 
 
 
 
 354 
 
 Chapter xl . , 
 
 
 
 
 
 381 
 
 Chapter xli . * 
 
 
 
 
 
 391 
 
 Chapter xlii . 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^01 
 
List of Etchings 
 
 " Philip Vanderdecken — That's the Flying Dutch- 
 man / " . , . . . Frontispiece 
 
 PAGE 
 He beheld , , » THE ONE-EYED ScHRIFTEN , . 164 
 
 Philip . . . caught it in his arms, and hurled it into 
 
 THE SEA ...,., 266 
 
 The little Portuguese Commandant . . . ordered them 
 
 to prison for further examination . . 3o4 
 
 After a scrutiny of some moments, the Secretary 
 
 SPOKE . o ., . - . 341 
 
 He extended his hand to Philip — it was taken . 402 
 
Prefatory Note 
 
 The Phantom Ship is the most notable of the three 
 novels constructed by Marryat on an historic basis, and 
 like its predecessor in the same category, Snarleyyoiv, 
 depends largely for its interest on the element of diablerie, 
 which is very skilfully manipulated. Here, however, the 
 supernatural appearances are never explained away, and 
 the ghostly agencies are introduced in the spirit of serious, 
 if somewhat melodramatic, romance. Marryat's personal 
 experience enabled him, with little research, to produce a 
 life-like picture of old Dutch seamanship, and his powers 
 in racy narrative have transformed the Vanderdecken 
 legend into a stirring tale of terror. The plot cannot be 
 called original, but it is more carefully worked out and, 
 from the nature of the material at hand, more effective 
 than most of Marryat's own. He has put life into it, 
 moreover, by the creation of some genuine characters, 
 designed for nobler ends than to move the machinery. 
 
 Amine, indeed, as Mr Hannay points out, " is by far 
 his nearest approach to an acceptable heroine." Her 
 romantic and curiously superstitious disposition is ad- 
 mirably restrained by strength of will and true courage. 
 The scenes of the Inquisition by which she meets her death 
 are forcibly described. Philip Vanderdecken is a very 
 respectable hero ; daring, impetuous, and moody, without 
 being too improbably capable. The hand of destinv lends 
 him a dignity of which he is by no means unworthy. 
 Krantz, the faithful friend, belongs to a familiar type, but 
 the one-eyed pilot is quite sufficiently weird for the part 
 he has to play. For the rest we have the usual exciting 
 
X Prefatory Note 
 
 adventures by sea and land ; the usual " humours," in this 
 case certainly not overdone. The miser Dr Foots ; the 
 bulky Kloots, his bear, and his super-cargo ; Barentz and 
 his crazy lady-love the Vroiu Katerina ; and the little 
 Portuguese Commandant provide the reader with a variety 
 of good-natured entertainment. It was an act of doubtful 
 wisdom, perhaps, to introduce a second group of spirits 
 from the Hartz mountains, but the story of the weir- 
 wolves is told simply, without any straining after effect. 
 
 The general success, however, is marred by certain 
 obvious failures in detail. The attempt to produce an 
 historic flavour by making the characters, during their 
 calmer moments, talk in would-be old English is more 
 amusing than culpable ; but the author's philosophy of the 
 unseen, as expounded by Amine or Krantz, is both weak 
 and tiresome, and his religious discourses, coloured by 
 prejudice against the Romanists, are conventional and 
 unconvincing. The closing scene savours of the Sunday- 
 school. 
 
 But these faults are not obtrusive, and the novel as a 
 whole must take a high place among its author's second- 
 best. 
 
 The Phantom Ship appeared in The New Monthly Magazine, 
 1838, 1839. It is here reprinted from the first edition, 
 in three volumes. Henry Colburn, 1839. 
 
 R. B. J. 
 
The Phantom Ship 
 
 Chapter I 
 
 About the middle of the seventeenth century, in the out- 
 skirts of the small but fortified town of Terneuse, situated 
 on the right bank of the Scheldt, and nearly opposite to 
 the island of Walcheren, there was to be seen, in advance 
 of a few other even more humble tenements, a small but 
 neat cottage, built according to the prevailing taste of the 
 time. The outside front had, some years back, been 
 painted of a deep orange, the windows and shutters of a 
 vivid green. To about three feet above the surface of the 
 earth, it was faced alternately with blue and white tiles. 
 A small garden, of about two rods of our measure of land, 
 surrounded the edifice ; and this little plot was flanked by 
 a low hedge of privet, and encircled by a moat full of 
 water, too wide to be leaped with ease. Over that part of 
 the moat which was in front of the cottage door, was a 
 small and narrow bridge, with ornamented iron hand-rails, 
 for the security of the passenger. But the colours, 
 originally so bright, with which the cottage had been 
 decorated, had now faded ; symptoms of rapid decay were 
 evident in the window-sills, the door-jambs, and other 
 wooden parts of the tenement, and many of the white and 
 blue tiles had fallen down, and had not been replaced. 
 That much care had once been bestowed upon this little 
 tenement, was as evident as that latterly it had been 
 equally neglected. 
 
 P.S. A 
 
2 The Phantom Ship 
 
 The inside of the cottage, both on the basement and the 
 floor above, was divided into two larger rooms in front, 
 and two smaller behind ; the rooms in front could only be 
 called large in comparison with the other two, as they 
 were little more than twelve feet square, with but one 
 window to each. The upper floor was, as usual, appro- 
 priated to the bedrooms-, on the lower, the two smaller 
 rooms were now used only as a wash-house and a lumber- 
 room ; while one of the larger was fitted up as a kitchen, 
 and furnished with dressers, on which the metal utensils 
 for cookery shone clean and polished as silver. The room 
 itself was scrupulously neat ; but the furniture, as well as 
 the utensils, were scanty. The boards of the floor were 
 of a pure white, and so clean that you might have laid 
 anything down without fear of soiling it. A strong deal 
 table, two wooden-seated chairs, and a small easy couch, 
 which had been removed from one of the bedrooms up- 
 stairs, were all the movables which this room contained. 
 The other front room had been fitted up as a parlour; 
 but what might be the style of its furniture was now 
 unknown, for no eye had beheld the contents of that room 
 for nearly seventeen years, during which it had been 
 hermetically sealed, even to the inmates of the cottage. 
 
 The kitchen, which we have described, was occupied by 
 two persons. One was a woman, apparently about forty 
 years of age, but worn down by pain and suffering. She 
 had evidently once possessed much beauty : there were 
 still the regular outlines, the noble forehead, and the large 
 dark eye ; but there was a tenuity in her features, a wasted 
 appearance, such as to render the flesh transparent; her 
 brow, when she mused, would sink into deep wrinkles, 
 premature though they were ; and the occasional flashing 
 of her eyes strongly impressed you with the idea of 
 insanity. There appeared to be some deep-seated, irre- 
 movable, hopeless cause of anguish, never for one moment 
 permitted to be absent from her memory : a chronic 
 oppression, fixed and graven there, only to be removed by 
 death. She was dressed in the widow's coif of the time ; 
 
The Phantom Ship 3 
 
 but although clean and neat, her garments were faded from 
 long wear. She was seated upon the small couch which 
 we have mentioned, evidently brought down as a relief to 
 her, in her declining state. 
 
 On the deal table in the centre of the room sat the other 
 person, a stout, fair-headed, florid youth of nineteen or 
 twenty years old. His features were handsome and bold, 
 and his frame powerful to excess ; his eye denoted 
 courage and determination, and as he carelessly swung his 
 legs, and whistled an air in an emphatic manner, it was 
 impossible not to form the idea that he was a daring, 
 adventurous, and reckless character. 
 
 ** Do not go to sea, Philip ; oh, promise me that, my 
 dear, dear child," said the female, clasping her hands. 
 
 "And why not go to sea, mother?" replied Philip; 
 " what's the use of my staying here to starve ? — for, by 
 Heaven! it's little better. I must do something for 
 myself and for you. And what else can I do ? My 
 uncle Van Brennen has offered to take me with him, 
 and will give me good wages. Then I shall live happily 
 on board, and my earnings will be sufficient for your 
 support at home." 
 
 " Philip — Philip, hear me. I shall die if you leave me. 
 Whom have I in the world but you } O my child, as 
 you love me, and I know you do love me, Philip, don't 
 leave me ; but if you will, at all events do not go to 
 sea." 
 
 Philip gave no immediate reply ; he whistled for a few 
 seconds, while his mother wept. 
 
 " Is it," said he at last, " because my father was drowned 
 at sea, that you beg so hard, mother ? " 
 
 " Oh, no — no ! " exclaimed the sobbing woman. " Would 
 to God " 
 
 " Would to God what, mother ? " 
 
 "Nothing — nothing. Be merciful — be merciful, O 
 God ! " replied the mother, sliding from her seat on 
 the couch, and kneeling by the side of it, n which 
 attitude she remained for some time in fervent prayer. 
 
4 The Phantom Ship 
 
 At last she resumed her seat, and her face wore an 
 aspect of more composure. 
 
 Philip, who, during this, had remained silent and 
 thoughtful, again addressed his mother. 
 
 " Look ye, mother. You ask me to stay on shore with 
 you, and starve, — rather hard conditions : — now hear what 
 I have to say. That room opposite has been shut up 
 ever since I can remember — why, you will never tell me ; 
 but once I heard you say, when we were without bread, 
 and with no prospect of my uncle's return — you were 
 then half frantic, mother, as you know you sometimes 
 are " 
 
 "Well, Philip, what did you hear me say?" enquired 
 his mother with tremulous anxiety. 
 
 " You said, mother, that there was money in that room 
 which would save us ; and then you screamed and raved, 
 and said that you preferred death. Now, mother, what 
 is there in that chamber, and why has it been so long shut 
 up ? Either I know that, or I go to sea." 
 
 At the commencement of this address of Philip, his 
 mother appeared to be transfixed, and motionless as a 
 statue ; gradually her lips separated, and her eyes glared ; 
 she seemed to have lost the power of reply ; she put 
 her hand to her right side, as if to compress it, then both 
 her hands, as if to relieve herself from excruciating 
 torture : at last she sank, with her head forward, and 
 the blood poured out of her mouth. 
 
 Philip sprang from the table to her assistance, and 
 prevented her from falling on the floor. He laid her 
 on the couch, watching with alarm the continued effusion. 
 
 " Oh ! mother — mother, what is this ? " cried he, at 
 last, in great distress. 
 
 For some time his mother could make him no reply; 
 she turned further on her side, that she might not be 
 suffocated by the discharge from the ruptured vessel, 
 and the snow-white planks of the floor were soon 
 crimsoned with her blood. 
 
 " Speak, dearest mother, if you can," repeated Philip, 
 
The Phantom Ship 5 
 
 in agony ; " what shall I do ? what shall I give you ? 
 God Almighty ! what is this ? " 
 
 " Death, my child, death ! " at length replied the poor 
 woman, sinking into a state of unconsciousness. 
 
 Philip, now much alarmed, flew out of the cottage, 
 and called the neighbours to his mother's assistance. Two 
 or three hastened to the call ; and as soon as Philip saw 
 them occupied in restoring his mother, he ran as fast as 
 he could to the house of a medical man, who lived about 
 a mile off — one Mynheer Poots, a little, miserable, avari- 
 cious wretch, but known to be very skilful in his pro- 
 fession. Philip found Poots at home, and insisted upon 
 his immediate attendance. 
 
 " I will come — yes, most certainly," replied Poots, who 
 spoke the language but imperfectly ; " but Mynheer Van- 
 derdecken, who will pay me ? " 
 
 " Pay you ! my uncle will, directly that he comes home." 
 
 ** Your uncle de Skipper Van Brennen : no, he owes 
 me four guilders, and he has owed me for a long time. 
 Besides, his ship may sink." 
 
 "He shall pay you the four guilders, and for this 
 attendance also," replied Philip, in a rage ; " come directly, 
 while you are disputing my mother may be dead." 
 
 " But, Mr Philip, I cannot come, now I recollect 5 I 
 have to see the child of the burgomaster at Terneuse," 
 replied Mynheer Poots. 
 
 "Look you, Mynheer Poots," exclaimed Philip, red 
 with passion; "you have but to choose, — will you go 
 quietly, or must I take you there ? You'll not trifle 
 with me." 
 
 Here Mynheer Poots was under considerable alarm, 
 for the character of Philip Vanderdecken was well known. 
 
 ** I will come by-and-bye. Mynheer Philip, if I can." 
 
 ** You'll come now, you wretched old miser," exclaimed 
 Philip, seizing hold of the little man by the collar, and 
 pulling him out of his door. 
 
 " Murder ! murder ! " cried Poots, as he lost his legs, 
 and was dragged along by the impetuous young man. 
 
6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Philip stopped, for he perceived that Poots was black 
 in the face. 
 
 " Must I then choke you, to make you go quietly ? for, 
 hear me, go you shall, alive or dead." 
 
 "Well, then," replied Poots, recovering himself, "I 
 will go, but I'll have you in prison to-night : and, as for 
 your mother, I'll not — ^no, that I will not^ — Mynheer Philip, 
 depend upon it." 
 
 " Mark me, Mynheer Poots," replied Philip, " as sure 
 as there is a God in heaven, if you do not come with me, 
 I'll choke you now ; and when you arrive, if you do not 
 do your best for my poor mother, I'll murder you there. 
 You know that I always do what I say, so now take my 
 advice, come along quietly, and you shall certainly be paid^ 
 and well paid — if I sell my coat." 
 
 This last observation of Philip, perhaps, had more effect 
 than even his threats. Poots was a miserable little atom, 
 and like a child in the powerful grasp of the young man. 
 The doctor's tenement was isolated, and he could obtain 
 no assistance until within a hundred yards of Vander- 
 decken's cottage ; so Mynheer Poots decided that he would 
 go, first, because Philip had promised to pay him, and 
 secondly, because he could not help it. 
 
 This point being settled, Philip and Mynheer Poots 
 made all haste to the cottage ; and on their arrival, they 
 found his mother still in the arms of two of her female 
 neighbours, who were bathing her temples with vinegar. 
 She was in a state of consciousness, but she could not 
 speak. Poots ordered her to be carried upstairs and put to 
 bed, and pouring some acids down her throat, hastened 
 away with Philip to procure the necessary remedies. 
 
 " You will give your mother that directly, Mynheer 
 Philip," said Poots, putting a phial into his hand ; " I will 
 now go to the child of the burgomaster, and will after- 
 wards come back to your cottage." 
 
 "Don't deceive me," said Philip, with a threatening 
 look. 
 
 " No, no. Mynheer Philip, I would not trust to your 
 
The Phantom Ship 7 
 
 uncle Van Brennen for payment, but you have promised, 
 and I know that you always keep your word. In one 
 hour I will be with your mother ; but you yourself must 
 now be quick.** 
 
 Philip hastened home. After the potion had been 
 administered, the bleeding was wholly stopped ; and in 
 half an hour, his mother could express her wishes in a 
 whisper. When the little doctor arrived, he carefully 
 examined his patient, and then went downstairs with her 
 son into the kitchen. 
 
 " Mynheer Philip,'* said Poots, ** by Allah ! I have 
 done my best, but I must tell you that I have little hopes 
 of your mother rising from her bed again. She may live 
 one day or two days, but not more. It is not my fault. 
 Mynheer Philip,'* continued Poots, in a deprecating tone. 
 
 " No, no ; it is the will of Heaven,** replied Philip, 
 mournfully. 
 
 "And you will pay me. Mynheer Vanderdecken ? '* 
 continued the doctor, after a short pause. 
 
 " Yes," replied Philip in a voice of thunder, and 
 starting from a reverie. After a moment's silence, the 
 doctor recommenced. 
 
 " Shall I come to-morrow, Mynheer Philip ? You 
 know that will be a charge of another guilder : it is of no 
 use to throw away money or time either." 
 
 ** Come to-morrow, come every hour, charge what you 
 please ; you shall certainly be paid," replied Philip, curling 
 his lip with contempt. 
 
 ** Well, it is as you please. As soon as she is dead, the 
 cottage and the furniture will be yours, and you will sell 
 them of course. Yes, I will come. You will have plenty 
 of money. Mynheer Philip, I would like the first offer of 
 the cottage, if it is to let." 
 
 Philip raised his arm in the air as if to crush Mynheer 
 Poots, who retreated to the corner. 
 
 **I did not mean until your mother was buried," said 
 Poots, in a coaxing tone. 
 
 ** Go, wretch, go ! " said Philip, covering his face with 
 
8 The Phantom Ship 
 
 his hands, as he sank down upon the blood-stained 
 couch. 
 
 After a short interval, Philip Vanderdecken returned to 
 the bedside of his mother, whom he found much better ; 
 and the neighbours, having their own affairs to attend to, 
 left them alone. Exhausted with the loss of blood, the 
 poor woman slumbered for many hours, during which she 
 never let go the hand of Philip, who watched her breathing 
 in mournful meditation. 
 
 It was about one o'clock in the morning when the widow 
 awoke. She had in a great degree recovered her voice, 
 and thus she addressed her son : — 
 
 ** My dear, my impetuous boy, and have I detained you 
 here a prisoner so long ? " 
 
 " My own inclination detained me, mother. I leave you 
 not to others until you are up and well again." 
 
 "That, Philip, I shall never be. I feel that death 
 claims me; and, O, my son, were it not for you, how 
 should I quit this world rejoicing ! I have long been 
 dying, Philip, — and long, long have I prayed for death." 
 
 " And why so, mother ? " replied Philip, bluntly ; "Tve 
 done my best." 
 
 " You have, my child, you have : and may God bless 
 you for it. Often have I seen you curb your fiery temper 
 — restrain yourself when justified in wrath — to spare a 
 mother's feelings. 'Tis now some days that even hunger 
 has not persuaded you to disobey your mother. And, 
 Philip, you must have thought me mad or foolish to insist 
 so long, and yet to give no reason. I'll speak — again — 
 directly." 
 
 The widow turned her head upon the pillow, and 
 remained quiet for some minutes ; then, as if revived, she 
 resumed : 
 
 "I believe I have been mad at times — have I not, Philip ? 
 And God knows I have had a secret in my heart enough 
 to drive a wife to frenzy. It has oppressed me day and 
 night, worn my mind, impaired my reason, and now, at 
 last, thank Heaven ! it has overcome this mortal frame : 
 
The Phantom Ship 9 
 
 the blow is struck, Philip, — I'm sure it is. I wait but to 
 tell you all, — and yet I would not, — 'twill turn your brain 
 as it has turned mine, Philip." 
 
 "Mother," replied Philip, earnestly, **I conjure you, 
 let me hear this killing secret. Be heaven or hell mixed 
 up with it, I fear not. Heaven will not hurt me, and 
 Satan I defy." 
 
 ** I know thy bold, proud spirit, Philip, — thy strength 
 of mind. If anyone could bear the load of such a dreadful 
 tale, thou couldst. My brain, alas ! was far too weak for 
 it ; and I see it is my duty to tell it to thee." 
 
 The widow paused as her thoughts reverted to that 
 which she had to confide; for a few minutes the tears 
 rained down her hollow cheeks ; she then appeared to 
 have summoned resolution, and to have regained strength. 
 
 ** Philip, it is of your father I would speak. It is 
 supposed — that he was — drowned at sea." 
 
 "And was he not, mother.?" replied Philip, with 
 surprise. 
 
 « O no ! " 
 
 ** But he has long been dead, mother ? " 
 
 "No, — yes, — and yet — no," said the widow, covering 
 her eyes. 
 
 Her brain wanders, thought Philip, but he spoke again : 
 
 " Then where is he, mother ? " 
 
 The widow raised herself, and a tremor visibly ran 
 through her whole frame, as she replied — 
 
 " In Living Judgment." 
 
 The poor woman then sank down again upon the pillow, 
 and covered her head with the bedclothes, as if she would 
 have hid herself from her own memory. Philip was so 
 much perplexed and astounded, that he could make no 
 reply. A silence of some minutes ensued, when, no 
 longer able to bear the agony of suspense, Philip faintly 
 whispered — 
 
 " The secret, mother, the secret 5 quick, let me hear it." 
 
 " I can now tell all, Philip," replied his mother, in a 
 solemn tone of voice. " Hear me, my son. Your father's 
 
lo The Phantom Ship 
 
 disposition was but too like your own ; — O may his cruel 
 fate be a lesson to you, my dear, dear child ! He was a 
 bold, a daring, and, they say, a first-rate seaman. He was 
 not born here, but in Amsterdam ; but he would not live 
 there, because he still adhered to the Catholic religion. 
 The Dutch, you know, Philip, are heretics, according to 
 our creed. It is now seventeen years or more that he 
 sailed for India, in his fine ship the Amsterdantmer, with a 
 valuable cargo. It was his third voyage to India, Philip, 
 and it was to have been, if it had so pleased God, his last, 
 for he had purchased that good ship with only part of his 
 earnings, and one more voyage would have made his 
 fortune. O ! how often did we talk over what we would 
 do upon his return, and how these plans for the future 
 consoled me at the idea of his absence, for I loved him 
 dearly, Philip, — he was always good and kind to me ; and 
 after he had sailed, how I hoped for his return ! The lot 
 of a sailor's wife is not to be envied. Alone and solitary 
 for so many months, watching the long wick of the candle, 
 and listening to the howling of the wind — foreboding evil 
 and accident — wreck and widowhood. He had been gone 
 about six months, Philip, and there was still a long dreary 
 year to wait before I could expect him back. One night, 
 you, my child, were fast asleep ; you were my only solace 
 — my comfort in my loneliness. I had been watching over 
 you in your slumbers ; you smiled and half pronounced 
 the name of mother ; and at last I kissed your unconscious 
 lips, and I knelt and prayed — prayed for God's blessing 
 on you, my child, and upon him too — little thinking, at 
 the time, that he was so horribly, so fearfully cursed." 
 
 The widow paused for breath, and then resumed* 
 Philip could not speak. His lips were sundered, and his 
 eyes riveted upon his mother, as he devoured her words. 
 
 ** I left you and went downstairs into that room, Philip, 
 which since that dreadful night has never been re-opened. 
 I sate me down and read, for the wind was strong, and 
 when the gale blows, a sailor's wife can seldom sleep. 
 It was past midnight, and the rain poured down. I felt 
 
The Phantom Ship ii 
 
 unusual fear, — I knew not why. I rose from the couch 
 and dipped my finger in the blessed water, and I crossed 
 myself. A violent gust of wind roared round the house, 
 and alarmed me still more. I had a painful, horrible fore- 
 boding; when, of a sudden, the windows and window- 
 shutters were all blown in, the light was extinguished, 
 and I was left in utter darkness. I screamed with fright ; 
 but at last I recovered myself, and was proceeding towards 
 the window that I might reclose it, when whom should 
 I behold, slowly entering at the casement, but — your 
 father, — Philip ! — Yes, Philip, — it was your father ! " 
 
 " Merciful God ! " muttered Philip, in a low tone 
 almost subdued into a whisper. 
 
 " I knew not what to think,— he was in the room ; 
 and although the darkness was intense, his form and 
 features were as clear and as defined as if it were noon- 
 day. Fear would have inclined me to recoil from, — his 
 loved presence to fly towards him. I remained on the 
 spot where I was, choked with agonising sensations. 
 When he had entered the room, the windows and shutters 
 closed of themselves, and the candle was relighted — then 
 I thought it was his apparition, and I fainted on the 
 floor. 
 
 " When I recovered I found myself on the couch, and 
 perceived that a cold (O how cold !) and dripping hand 
 was clasped in mine. This reassured me, and I forgot the 
 supernatural signs which accompanied his appearance. 
 I imagined that he had been unfortunate, and had returned 
 home. I opened my eyes, and beheld my loved husband 
 and threw myself into his arms. His clothes were 
 saturated with the rain : I felt as if I had embraced ice- 
 but nothing can check the warmth of a woman's love, 
 Philip. He received my caresses, but he caressed not 
 again : he spoke not, but looked thoughtful and unhappy. 
 * William — ^William,' cried I ! * speak, Vanderdecken, speak 
 to your dear Catherine.' 
 
 " * I will,' replied he, solemnly, * for my time is short.' 
 
 " * No, no, you must not go to sea again : you have 
 
12 The Phantom Ship 
 
 lost your vessel, but you are safe. Have I not you 
 again ^ ' 
 
 Ct f 
 
 Alas 1 no — be not alarmed, but listen, for my time 
 is short. I have not lost my vessel, Catherine, but i have 
 
 LOST ! ! ! Make no reply, but listen 5 I am not dead, 
 
 nor yet am I alive. I hover between this world and the 
 world of Spirits. Mark me. 
 
 " * For nine weeks did I try to force my passage against 
 the elements round the stormy Cape, but without success ; 
 and I swore terribly. For nine weeks more did I carry 
 sail against the adverse winds and currents, and yet 
 could gain no ground ; and then I blasphemed, — ay, 
 terribly blasphemed. Yet still I persevered. The crew, 
 worn out with long fatigue, would have had me return 
 to the Table Bay ; but I refused ; nay, more, I became 
 a murderer, — unintentionally, it is true, but still a 
 murderer. The pilot opposed me, and persuaded the 
 men to bind me, and in the excess of my fury, when he 
 took me by the collar, I struck at him -, he reeled ; and, 
 with the sudden lurch of the vessel, he fell overboard, 
 and sank. Even this fearful death did not restrain me ; 
 and I swore by the fragment of the Holy Cross, preserved 
 in that relic now hanging round your neck, that I would 
 gain my point in defiance of storm and seas, of lightning, 
 of heaven, or of hell, even if I should beat about until 
 the Day of Judgment. 
 
 " * My oath was registered in thunder, and in streams of 
 sulphurous fire. The hurricane burst upon the ship, the 
 canvas flew away in ribbons ; mountains of seas swept over 
 us, and in the centre of a deep o'erhanging cloud, which 
 shrouded all in utter darkness, were written in letters of 
 livid flame, these words — Until the Day of Judgment. 
 
 " * Listen to me, Catherine, my time is short. One Hope 
 alone remains, and for this am I permitted to come here. 
 Take this letter.' He put a sealed paper on the table. 
 * Read it, Catherine, dear, and try if you can assist me. 
 Read it and now farewell — my time is come.* 
 
 ** Again the window and window-shutters burst open — 
 
The Phantom Ship 13 
 
 again the light was extinguished, and the form of my 
 husband was, as it were, wafted in the dark expanse. I 
 started up and followed him with outstretched arms and 
 frantic screams as he sailed through the window; — my 
 glaring eyes beheld his form borne away like lightning on 
 the wings of the wild gale, till it was lost as a speck of 
 light, and then it disappeared. Again the windows closed, 
 the light burned, and I was left alone ! 
 
 " Heaven, have mercy ! My brain ! — my brain ! — 
 Philip ! — ^Philip ! " shrieked the poor woman ; " don't leave 
 me — don't — don't — pray don't ! " 
 
 During these exclamations the frantic widow had raised 
 herself from the bed, and, at the last, had fallen into the 
 arms of her son. She remained there some minutes with- 
 out motion. After a time Philip felt alarmed at her long 
 quiescence ; he laid her gently down upon the bed, and as 
 he did so her head fell back — her eyes were turned — the 
 widow Vanderdecken was no more. 
 
 Chapter II 
 
 Philip Vanderdecken, strong as he was in mental 
 courage, was almost paralysed by the shock when he 
 discovered that his mother's spirit had fled ; and for some 
 time he remained by the side of the bed with his eyes 
 fixed upon the corpse, and his mind in a state of vacuity. 
 Gradually he recovered himself; he rose, smoothed dowa 
 the pillow, closed her eyelids, and then clasping his hands, 
 the tears trickled down his manly cheeks. He impressed 
 a solemn kiss upon the pale white forehead of the departed,, 
 and drew the curtains round the bed. 
 
 " Poor mother ! " said he, sorrowfully, as he completed 
 his task, " at length thou hast found rest, — but thou hast 
 left thy son a bitter legacy." 
 
 And as Philip's thoughts reverted to what had passed, 
 the dreadful narrative whirled in his imagination and 
 
14 The Phantom Ship 
 
 scathed his brain. He raised his hands to his temples, 
 compressed them with force, and tried to collect his 
 thoughts, that he might decide upon what measures he 
 should take. He felt that he had no time to indulge his 
 grief. His mother was in peace : but his father — ^where 
 was he ? 
 
 He recalled his mother's words — "One hope alone 
 remained." Then there was hope. His father had laid a 
 paper on the table — could it be there now ? Yes, it must 
 bej his mother had not had the courage to take it up. 
 There was hope in that paper, and it had lain unopened for 
 more than seventeen years. 
 
 Philip Vanderdecken resolved that he would examine the 
 fatal chamber — at once he would know the worst. Should 
 he do it now, or wait till daylight ? — but the key, where 
 was it ? His eyes rested upon an old japanned cabinet in 
 the room: he had never seen his mother open it in his 
 presence : it was the only likely place of concealment that 
 he was aware of. Prompt in all his decisions, he took up 
 the candle, and proceeded to examine it. It was not 
 locked ; the doors swung open, and drawer after drawer 
 was examined, but Philip discovered not the object of his 
 search ; again and again did he open the drawers, but they 
 were all empty. It occurred to Philip that there might be 
 secret drawers, and he examined for some time in vain. 
 At last he took out all the drawers, and laid them on the 
 floor, and lifting the cabinet off its stand he shook it. A 
 rattling sound in one corner told him that in all probability 
 the key was there concealed. He renewed his attempts to 
 discover how to gain it, but in vain. Daylight now streamed 
 through the casements, and Philip had not desisted from 
 his attempts : at last, wearied out, he resolved to force the 
 back panel of the cabinet j he descended to the kitchen, 
 and returned with a small chopping-knife and hammer, and 
 was on his knees busily employed forcing out the panel, 
 when a hand was placed upon his shoulder. 
 
 Philip started j he had been so occupied with his search 
 and his wild chasing thoughts, that he had not heard the 
 
The Phantom Ship 15 
 
 sound of an approaching footstep. He looked up and 
 beheld the Father Seysen, the priest of the little parish, 
 with his eyes sternly fixed upon him. The good man 
 had been informed of the dangerous state of the widow 
 Vanderdecken, and had risen at daylight to visit and 
 afford her spiritual comfort. 
 
 " How now, my son," said the priest : " fearest thou 
 not to disturb thy mother's rest ? and wouldst thou pilfer 
 and purloin even before she is in her grave ? " 
 
 *' I fear not to disturb my mother's rest, good father," 
 rephed Philip, rising on his feet, " for she now rests with 
 the blessed. Neither do I pilfer or purloin. It is not 
 gold I seek, although if gold there were, that gold would 
 now be mine. I seek but a key, long hidden, I believe, 
 within this secret drawer, the opening of which is a 
 mystery beyond my art." 
 
 " Thy mother is no more, sayest thou, my son ^ and 
 dead without receiving the rites of our most holy church ! 
 Why didst thou not send for me ? " 
 
 " She died, good father, suddenly — most suddenly, in 
 these arms, about two hours ago. I fear not for her 
 soul, although I can but grieve you were not at her 
 side." 
 
 The priest gently opened the curtains, and looked upon 
 the corpse. He sprinkled holy water on the bed, and 
 for a short time his lips were seen to move in silent 
 prayer. He then turned round to Philip. 
 
 " "Why do I see thee thus employed ? and why so 
 anxious to obtain that key ? A mother's death should 
 call forth filial tears and prayers for her repose. Yet 
 are thine eyes dry, and thou art employed upon an in- 
 different search while yet the tenement is warm which 
 but now held her spirit. This is not seemly, Philip. 
 What is the key thou seekest ? " 
 
 " Father, I have no time for tears — no time to spare 
 for grief or lamentation. I have much to do and more 
 to think of than thought can well embrace. That I loved 
 my mother, you know well." 
 
1 6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " But the key thou seekest, Philip ? " 
 
 ** Father, it is the key of a chamber which has not been 
 unlocked for years, which I must — will open ; even 
 if " 
 
 "If what, my son ? " 
 
 "I was about to say what I should not have said. 
 Forgive me. Father 5 I meant that I must search that 
 chamber." 
 
 " I have long heard of that same chamber being closed ; 
 and that thy mother would not explain wherefore, I know 
 well, for I have asked her, and have been denied. Nay, 
 when, as in duty bound, I pressed the question, I found 
 her reason was disordered by my importunity, and there- 
 fore I abandoned the attempt. Some heavy weight was 
 on thy mother's mind, my son, yet would she never con- 
 fess or trust it with me. Tell me, before she died, hadst 
 thou this secret from her ? " 
 
 " I had, most holy father." 
 
 " Wouldst thou not feel comfort if thou didst confide 
 to me, my son ? I might advise — assist " 
 
 " Father, I would indeed — I could confide it to thee, 
 and ask for thy assistance — I know 'tis not from curious 
 feeling thou wouldst have it, but from a better motive. 
 But of that which has been told it is not yet manifest — 
 whether it is as my poor mother says, or but the phantom 
 of a heated brain. Should it indeed be true, fain would 
 I share the burthen with you — yet little you might thank 
 me for the heavy load. But no — at least not now — it 
 must not, cannot be revealed. I must do my work — 
 enter that hated room alone." 
 
 ** Fearest thou not ? " 
 
 ** Father, I fear nothing. I have a duty to perform — 
 a dreadful one, I grant ; but I pray thee, ask no more ; 
 for, like my poor mother, I feel as if the probing of 
 the wound would half unseat my reason." 
 
 " I will not press thee further, Philip. The time may 
 come when I may prove of service. Farewell, my child ; 
 but I pray thee to discontinue thy unseemly labour, for I 
 
The Phantom Ship 17 
 
 must send in the neighbours to perform the duties to 
 thy departed mother, whose soul I trust is with its God." 
 
 The priest looked at Philip ; he perceived that his 
 thoughts were elsewhere ; there was a vacancy and 
 appearance of mental stupefaction, and as he turned away, 
 the good man shook his head. 
 
 " He is right," thought Philip, when once more alone ; 
 and he took up the cabinet, and placed it upon the stand. 
 " A few hours more can make no difference : I will lay 
 me down, for my head is giddy." 
 
 Philip went into the adjoining room, threw himself 
 upon his bed, and in a few minutes was in a sleep as 
 sound as that permitted to the wretch a few hours previous 
 to his execution. 
 
 During his slumbers the neighbours had come in, and 
 had prepared everything for the widow's interment. They 
 had been careful not to wake the son, for they held as 
 sacred the sleep of those who must wake up to sorrow. 
 Among others, soon after the hour of noon arrived 
 Mynheer Poots ; he had been informed of the death of the 
 widow, but having a spare hour, he thought he might as 
 well call, as it would raise his charges by another guilder. 
 He first went into the room where the body lay, and from 
 thence he proceeded to the chamber of Philip, and shook 
 him by the shoulder. 
 
 Philip awoke, and, sitting up, perceived the doctor 
 standing by him. 
 
 "Well, Mynheer Vanderdecken," commenced the un- 
 feeling little man, " so it's all over. I knew it would be 
 so, and recollect you owe me now another guilder, and 
 you promised faithfully to pay me; altogether, with the 
 potion, it will be three guilders and a half — that is, pro- 
 vided you return my phial." 
 
 Philip, who at first waking was confused, gradually 
 recovered his senses during this address. 
 
 " You shall have your three guilders and a half, and 
 your phial to boot, Mr Poots," replied he, as he rose from 
 off the bed. 
 
 p.s. B 
 
1 8 The Phantom Ship 
 
 ** Yes, yes ; I know you mean to pay me — if you can. 
 But look you, Mynheer Philip, it may be some time before 
 you sell the cottage. You may not find a customer. 
 Now, I never wish to be hard upon people who have no 
 money, and I'll tell you what I'll do. There is a something 
 on your mother's neck. It is of no value, none at all, but 
 to a good Catholic. To help you in your strait, I will 
 take that thing, and then we shall be quits. You will 
 have paid me, and there will be an end of it." 
 
 Philip listened calmly : he knew to what the little miser 
 had referred, — the relic on his mother's neck — that very 
 relic upon which his father swore the fatal oath. He felt 
 that millions of guilders would not have induced him to 
 part with it. 
 
 "Leave the house," answered he abruptly. "Leave it 
 immediately. Your money shall be paid." 
 
 Now, Mynheer Poots, in the first place, knew that 
 the setting of the relic, which was in a square frame of 
 pure gold, was worth much more than the sum due to him : 
 he also knew that a large price had been paid for the relic 
 itself, and as at that time such a relic was considered very 
 valuable, he had no doubt but that it would again fetch a 
 considerable sum. Tempted by the sight of it when he 
 entered the chamber of death, he had taken it from the 
 neck of the corpse, and it was then actually concealed in 
 his bosom, so he replied — 
 
 " My offer is a good one. Mynheer Philip, and you had 
 better take it. Of what use is such trash ? " 
 
 " I tell you, no," cried Philip, in a rage. 
 
 "Well, then, you will let me have it in my possession 
 till I am paid. Mynheer Vanderdecken — that is but fair. 
 I must not lose my money. When you bring me my three 
 guilders and a half and the phial, I will return it to you." 
 
 Philip's indignation was now without bounds. He 
 seized Mynheer Poots by the collar, and threw him out of 
 the door. " Away immediately," cried he, " or by " 
 
 There was no occasion for Philip to finish the impreca- 
 tion. The doctor had hastened away with such alarm. 
 
The Phantom Ship 19 
 
 that he fell down half the steps of the staircase, and was 
 limping away across the bridge. He almost wished that 
 the relic had not been in his possession j but his sudden 
 retreat had prevented him, even if so inclined, from re- 
 placing it on the corpse. 
 
 The result of this conversation naturally turned Philip's 
 thoughts to the relic, and he went into his mother's room 
 to take possession of it. He opened the curtains — the 
 corpse was laid out — he put forth his hand to untie the 
 black ribbon. It was not there. " Gone ! " exclaimed 
 Philip. *^ They hardly would have removed it — never 
 
 would . It must be that villain Poots — wretch ; but I 
 
 will have it, even if he has swallowed it, though I tear 
 him limb from limb ! " 
 
 Philip darted down the stairs, rushed out of the house, 
 cleared the moat at one bound, and without coat or hat, 
 flew away in the direction of the doctor's lonely residence. 
 The neighbours saw him as he passed them like the wind ; 
 they wondered, and they shook their heads. Mynheer 
 Poots was not more than half-way to his home, for he had 
 hurt his ankle. Apprehensive of what might possibly take 
 place should his theft be discovered, he occasionally looked 
 behind him ; at length, to his horror, he beheld Philip 
 Vanderdecken at a distance bounding on in pursuit of him. 
 Frightened almost out of his senses, the wretched pilferer 
 hardly knew how to act ; to stop and surrender up the 
 stolen property was his first thought, but fear of Vander- 
 decken's violence prevented him ; so he decided on taking 
 to his heels, thus hoping to gain his house, and barricade 
 himself in, by which means he would be in a condition to 
 keep possession of what he had stolen, or at least make 
 some terms ere he restored it. 
 
 Mynheer Poots had need to run fast, and so he did ; 
 his thin legs bearing his shrivelled form rapidly over the 
 ground ; but Philip, who, when he witnessed the doctor's 
 attempt to escape, was fully convinced that he was the 
 culprit, redoubled his exertions, and rapidly came up with 
 the chase. When within a hundred yards of his own door. 
 
7.0 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Mynheer Foots heard the bounding step of Philip gain 
 upon him, and he sprang and leaped in his agony. Nearer 
 and nearer still the step, until at last he heard the very 
 breathing of his pursuer, and Poots shrieked in his fear, 
 like the hare in the jaws of the greyhound. Philip was 
 not a yard from him ; his arm was outstretched, when the 
 miscreant dropped down paralysed with terror, and the 
 impetus of Vanderdecken was so great that he passed over 
 his body, tripped, and after trying in vain to recover his 
 equilibrium, he fell and rolled over and over. This saved 
 the little doctor ; it was like the double of a hare. In a 
 second he was again on his legs, and before Philip could 
 rise and again exert his speed, Poots had entered his door 
 and bolted it within. Philip was, however, determined to 
 repossess the important treasure ; and as he panted, he 
 cast his eyes around, to see if any means offered for his 
 forcing his entrance into the house. But as the habitation 
 of the doctor was lonely, every precaution had been taken 
 by him to render it secure against robbery ; the windows 
 below were well barricaded and secured, and those on the 
 upper story were too high for anyone to obtain admittance 
 by them. 
 
 We must here observe, that although Mynheer Poots 
 was, from his known abilities, in good practice, his reputa- 
 tion as a hard-hearted, unfeeling miser was well established. 
 No one was ever permitted to enter his threshold, nor, 
 indeed, did any one feel inclined. He was as isolated from 
 his fellow-creatures as was his tenement, and was only to 
 be seen in the chamber of disease and death. "What his 
 establishment consisted of no one knew. When he first 
 settled in the neighbourhood, an old decrepit woman occa- 
 sionally answered the knocks given at the door by those 
 who required the doctor's services ; but she had been 
 buried some time, and, ever since, all calls at the door had 
 been answered by Mynheer Poots in person, if he were at 
 home, and if not, there was no reply to the most impor- 
 tunate summons. It was then surmised that the old man 
 lived entirely by himself, being too niggardly to pay for 
 
The Phantom Ship 21 
 
 any assistance. This Philip also imagined ; and as soon 
 as he had recovered his breath, he began to devise 
 some scheme by which he would be enabled not only to 
 recover the stolen property, but also to wreak a dire 
 Tevenge. 
 
 The door was strong, and not to be forced by any 
 means which presented themselves to the eye of Vander- 
 decken. For a few minutes he paused to consider, and as 
 he reflected, so did his anger cool down, and he decided 
 that it would be sufficient to recover his relic without 
 having recourse to violence. So he called out in a loud 
 voice : — 
 
 ** Mynheer Poots, I know that you can hear me. Give 
 me back what you have taken, and I will do you no hurt ; 
 but if you will not, you must take the consequence, for 
 your life shall pay the forfeit before I leave this spot." 
 
 This speech was indeed very plainly heard by Mynheer 
 Poots, but the little miser had recovered from his fright, 
 and, thinking himself secure, could not make up his mind 
 to surrender the relic without a struggle ; so the doctor 
 answered not, hoping that the patience of Philip would be 
 exhausted, and that by some arrangement, such as the 
 sacrifice of a few guilders, no small matter to one so needy 
 as Philip, he would be able to secure what he was satisfied 
 would sell at a high price. 
 
 Vanderdecken, finding that no answer was returned, 
 indulged in strong invective, and then decided upon 
 measures certainly in themselves by no means undecided. 
 
 There was part of a small stack of dry fodder standing 
 not far from the house, and under the wall a pile of 
 wood for firing. With these Vanderdecken resolved upon 
 setting fire to the house, and thus, if he did not gain his 
 relic, he would at least obtain ample revenge. He brought 
 several armfuls of fodder and laid them at the door of the 
 house, and upon that he piled the fagots and logs of 
 wood, until the door was quite concealed by them. He 
 then procured a light from the steel, flint, and tinder, 
 which every Dutchman carries in his pocket, and very soon 
 
22 The Phantom Ship 
 
 he had fanned the pile into a flame. The smoke ascended 
 in columns up to the rafters of the roof while the fire 
 raged below. The door was ignited, and was adding to 
 the fury of the flames, and Philip shouted with joy at the 
 success of his attempt. 
 
 "Now, miserable despoiler of the dead — now, wretched 
 thief, now you shall feel my vengeance," cried Philip, with 
 a loud voice. " If you remain within, you perish in the 
 flames ; if you attempt to come out you shall die by my 
 hands. Do you hear. Mynheer Poots — do you hear ? " 
 
 Hardly had Philip concluded this address when the 
 window of the upper floor furthest from the burning door 
 was thrown open. 
 
 " Ay, — you come now to beg and to entreat ; but no — 
 no," cried Philip — who stopped as he beheld at the window 
 what seemed to be an apparition, for, instead of the 
 wretched little miser, he beheld one of the loveliest forms 
 Nature ever deigned to mould — an angelic creature, of 
 about sixteen or seventeen, who appeared calm and resolute 
 in the midst of the danger by which she was threatened. 
 Her long black hair was braided and twined round her 
 beautifully-formed head ; her eyes were large, intensely 
 dark, yet soft ; her forehead high and white, her chin 
 dimpled, her ruby lips arched and delicately fine, her nose 
 small and straight. A lovelier face could not be well 
 imagined ; it reminded you of what the best of painters 
 have sometimes, in their more fortunate moments, succeeded 
 in embodying, when they would represent a beauteous 
 saint. And as the flames wreathed and the smoke burst 
 out in columns and swept past the window, so might she 
 have reminded you in her calmness of demeanour of some 
 martyr at the stake. 
 
 " What wouldst thou, violent young man ? Why are 
 the inmates of this house to suffer death by your means ? " 
 said the maiden, with composure. 
 
 For a few seconds Philip gazed, and could make no reply ; 
 then the thought seized him that, in his vengeance, he 
 was about to sacrifice so much loveliness. He forgot 
 
The Phantom Ship 23 
 
 everything but her danger, and seizing one of the large 
 poles which he had brought to feed the flame, he threw 
 off and scattered in every direction the burning masses, 
 until nothing was left which could hurt the building but 
 the ignited door itself ; and this, which as yet — for it was 
 of thick oak plank — had not suffered very material injury, 
 he soon reduced, by beating it, with clods of earth, to a 
 smoking and harmless state. During these active measures 
 on the part of Philip, the young maiden watched him in 
 silence. 
 
 " All is safe now, young lady," said Philip. " God 
 forgive me that I should have risked a life so precious. I 
 thought but to wreak my vengeance upon Mynheer Poots." 
 
 " And what cause can Mynheer Poots have given for 
 such dreadful vengeance ? " replied the maiden calmly. 
 
 " What cause, young lady ? He came to my house — 
 despoiled the dead — took from my mother's corpse a relic 
 beyond price." 
 
 "Despoiled the dead!— he surely cannot — you must 
 wrong him, young sir." 
 
 " No, no. It is the fact, lady, — and that relic — forgive 
 me — but that relic I must have. You know not what 
 depends upon it." 
 
 " Wait, young sir," replied the maiden ; ** I will soon 
 return." 
 
 Philip waited several minutes, lost in thought and admira- 
 tion : so fair a creature in the house of Mynheer Poots ! 
 Who could she be ? While thus ruminating, he was 
 accosted by the silver voice of the object of his reveries, 
 who, leaning out of the window, held in her hand the 
 black ribbon to which was attached the article so dearly 
 coveted. 
 
 "Here is your relic, sir," said the young female; "I 
 regret much that my father should have done a deed which 
 well might justify your anger : but here it is," continued she, 
 dropping it down on the ground by Phihp ; " and now you 
 may depart." 
 
 "Your father, maiden! can he be your father? ^^ said 
 
24 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Philip, forgetting to take up the relic which lay at his 
 feet. 
 
 She would have retired from the window without reply, 
 but Philip spoke again — 
 
 " Stop, lady, stop one moment, until I beg your forgive- 
 ness for my wild, foolish act. I swear by this sacred relic," 
 continued he, taking it from the ground and raising it to his 
 lips, ** that had I known that any unoffending person had 
 been in this house, I would not have done the deed, and 
 much do I rejoice that no harm hath happened. But there 
 is still danger, lady ; the door must be unbarred, and the 
 jambs, which still are glowing, be extinguished, or the 
 house may yet be burnt. Fear not for your father, maiden, 
 for had he done me a thousand times more wrong, you 
 will protect each hair upon his head. He knows me well 
 enough to know I keep my word. Allow me to repair 
 the injury I have occasioned, and then I will depart." 
 
 "No, no-, don't trust him," said Mynheer Poots, from 
 within the chamber. 
 
 " Yes, he may be trusted," replied the daughter ; 
 "and his services are much needed, for what could a 
 poor weak girl like me, and a still weaker father, do 
 in this strait ? Open the door, and let the house be 
 made secure." The maiden then addressed Philip — 
 "He shall open the door, sir, and I will thank you 
 for your kind service. I trust entirely to your promise." 
 
 " I never yet was known to break my word, maiden," 
 replied Philip ; " but let him be quick, for the flames 
 are bursting out again." 
 
 The door was opened by the trembling hands of 
 Mynheer Poots, who then made a hasty retreat upstairs. 
 The truth of what Philip had said was then apparent. 
 Many were the buckets of water which he was obliged 
 to fetch before the fire was subdued ; but during his 
 exertions neither the daughter nor the father made their 
 appearance. 
 
 When all was safe, Philip closed the door, and again 
 looked up at the window. The fair girl made her appear- 
 
The Phantom Ship 25 
 
 ance, and Philip, with a low obeisance, assured her that 
 there was then no danger. 
 
 **I thank you, sir," replied she — **I thank you much. 
 Your conduct, although hasty at first, has yet been most 
 considerate." 
 
 " Assure your father, maiden, that all animosity on my 
 part hath ceased, and that in a few days I will call and 
 satisfy the demand he hath against me." 
 
 The window closed, and Philip, more excited, but with 
 feelings altogether different from those with which he 
 had set out, looked at it for a minute, and then bent his 
 steps to his own cottage. 
 
 Chapter III 
 
 The discovery of the beautiful daughter of Mynheer 
 Poots had made a strong impression upon Philip Van- 
 derdecken, and now he had another excitement to combine 
 with those which already overcharged his bosom. He 
 arrived at his own house, went upstairs, and threw him- 
 self on the bed from which he had been roused by 
 Mynheer Poots. At first, he recalled to his mind the 
 scene we have just described, painted in his imagination 
 the portrait of the fair girl, her eyes, her expression, 
 her silver voice, and the words which she had uttered; 
 but her pleasing image was soon chased away by the 
 recollection that his mother's corpse lay in the adjoining 
 chamber, and that his father's secret was hidden in the 
 room below. 
 
 The funeral was to take place the next morning, and 
 Philip, who, since his meeting with the daughter of 
 Mynheer Poots, appeared even to himself not so anxious 
 for immediate examination of the room, resolved that 
 he would not open it until after the melancholy ceremony. 
 With this resolution he fell asleep ; and exhausted with 
 bodily and mental excitement, he did not wake until the 
 
26 The Phantom Ship 
 
 next morning, when he was summoned by the priest to 
 assist at the funeral rites. In an hour all was over ; the 
 crowd dispersed, and Philip, returning to the cottage, 
 bolted the door that he might not be interrupted, and 
 felt happy that he was alone. 
 
 There is a feeling in our nature which will arise when 
 we again find ourselves in the tenement where death has 
 been, and all traces of it have been removed. It is a 
 feeling of satisfaction and relief at having rid ourselves 
 of the memento of mortality, the silent evidence of the 
 futility of our pursuits and anticipations. We know 
 that we must one day die, but we always wish to forget 
 it. The continual remembrance would be too great a 
 check upon our mundane desires and wishes ; and although 
 we are told that we ever should have futurity in our 
 thoughts, we find that life is not to be enjoyed if we 
 are not permitted occasional forgetfulness. For who 
 would plan what rarely he is permitted to execute, if 
 each moment of the day he thought of death ? We either 
 hope that we may live longer than others, or we forget 
 that we may not. 
 
 If this buoyant feeling had not been planted in our 
 nature, how little would the world have been improved 
 even from the deluge I Philip walked into the room 
 where his mother had lain one short hour before, and 
 unwittingly felt relief. Taking down the cabinet, he 
 now recommenced his task; the back panel was soon 
 removed, and a secret drawer discovered; he drew it 
 out, and it contained what he presumed to be the object 
 of his search, — a large key with a slight coat of rust 
 upon it, which came off upon its being handled. Under 
 the key was a paper, the writing on which was somewhat 
 discoloured ; it was in his mother's hand, and ran as 
 follows : — 
 
 " It is now two nights since a horrible event took place 
 which has induced me to close the lower chamber, and my 
 brain is still bursting with terror. Should I not, during 
 my lifetime, reveal what occurred, still this key will be 
 
The Phantom Ship 27 
 
 required, as at my death the room will be opened. When 
 I rushed from it I hastened upstairs, and remained that 
 night with my child; the next morning I summoned up 
 sufficient courage to go down, turn the key, and bring it 
 up into my chamber. It is now closed till I close my eyes 
 in death. No privation, no sufFering, shall induce me to 
 open it, although in the iron cupboard under the buffet 
 farthest from the window, there is money sufficient for all 
 my wants ; that money will remain there for my child, to 
 whom, if I do not impart the fatal secret, he must be 
 satisfied that it is one which it were better should be 
 concealed, — one so horrible as to induce me to take the 
 steps which I now do. The keys of the cupboards and 
 buffets were, I think, lying on the table, or in my work- 
 box, when I quitted the room. There is a letter on the 
 table, at least I think so. It is sealed. Let not the seal 
 be broken but by my son, and not by him unless he knows 
 the secret. Let it be burnt by the priest, — for it is cursed ; 
 — and even should my son know all that I do, oh ! let him 
 pause, — let him reflect well before he breaks the seal, — for 
 'twere better he should know no more ! " 
 
 " Not know more ! " thought Philip, as his eyes were 
 still fixed upon the paper. " Yes, but I must and will 
 know more ! so forgive me, dearest mother, if I waste no 
 time in reflection. It would be but time thrown away, 
 when one is resolved as I am." 
 
 Philip pressed his lips to his mother's signature, folded 
 up the paper, and put it into his pocket ; then, taking the 
 key, he proceeded downstairs. 
 
 It was about noon when Philip descended to open the 
 chamber ; the sun shone bright, the sky was clear, and all 
 without was cheerful and joyous. The front door of the 
 cottage being closed, there was not much light in the 
 passage when Philip put the key into the lock of the long- 
 closed door, and with some difficulty turned it round. To 
 say that when he pushed open the door he felt no alarm, 
 would not be correct ; he did feel alarm, and his heart 
 palpitated j but he felt more than was requisite of deter- 
 
28 The Phantom Ship 
 
 mination to conquer that alarm, and to conquer more, 
 should more be created by what he should behold. He 
 opened the door, but did not immediately enter the room : 
 he paused where he stood, for he felt as if he was about 
 to intrude into the retreat of a disembodied spirit, and 
 that that spirit might reappear. He waited a minute, for 
 the effort of opening the door had taken away his breath, 
 and, as he recovered himself, he looked within. 
 
 He could but imperfectly distinguish the objects in the 
 chamber, but through the joints of the shutters there were 
 three brilliant beams of sunshine forcing their way across 
 the room, which at first induced him to recoil as if from 
 something supernatural ; but a little reflection reassured 
 him. After about a minute's pause, Philip went into the 
 kitchen, lighted a candle, and, sighing deeply two or three 
 times as if to relieve his heart, he summoned his resolution, 
 and walked towards the fatal room. He first stopped at 
 the threshold, and, by the light of the candle, took a hasty 
 survey. All was still : and the table on which the letter 
 had been left, being behind the door, was concealed by its 
 being opened. It must be done, thought Philip : and why 
 not at once ? continued he, resuming his courage ; and, 
 with a firm step, he walked into the room and went to 
 unfasten the shutters. If his hands trembled a little when 
 he called to mind how supernaturally they had last been 
 opened, it is not surprising. We are but mortal, and we 
 shrink from contact with aught beyond this life. When 
 the fastenings were removed and the shutters unfolded, a 
 stream of light poured into the room so vivid as to dazzle 
 his eyesight ; strange to say, this very light of a brilliant 
 day overthrew the resolution of Philip more than the 
 previous gloom and darkness had done ; and with the 
 candle in his hand, he retreated hastily into the kitchen to 
 re-summon his courage, and there he remained for some 
 minutes, with his face covered, and in deep thought. 
 
 It is singular that his reveries at last ended by reverting 
 to the fair daughter of Mynheer Poots, and her first 
 appearance at the window j and he felt as if the flood 
 
The Phantom Ship 29 
 
 of light which had just driven him from the one, was 
 not more impressive and startling than her enchanting 
 form at the other. His mind dwelling upon the beauteous 
 vision appeared to restore Philip's confidence ; he now 
 rose and boldly walked into the room. We shal] not 
 describe the objects it contained as they chanced to meet 
 the eyes of Philip, but attempt a more lucid arrangement. 
 
 The room was about twelve or fourteen feet square, 
 with but one window ; opposite to the door stood the 
 chimney and fireplace, with a high buffet of dark wood 
 on each side. The floor of the room was not dirty, 
 although about its upper parts spiders had run their 
 cobwebs in every direction. In the centre of the ceiling 
 hung a quicksilver globe, a common ornament in those 
 days, but the major part of it had lost its brilliancy, the 
 spiders' webs enclosing it like a shroud. Over the chimney- 
 piece were hung two or three drawings framed and glazed, 
 but a dusty mildew was spotted over the glass, so that 
 little of them could be distinguished. In the centre of the 
 mantel-piece was an image of the Virgin Mary, of pure 
 silver, in a shrine of the same metal, but it was tarnished 
 to the colour of bronze or iron ; some Indian figures stood 
 on each side of it. The glass doors of the buffets on each 
 side of the chimney-piece were also so dimmed that little 
 of what was within could be distinguished ; the light and 
 heat which had been poured into the room, even for so 
 short a time, had already gathered up the damp of many 
 years, and it lay as a mist and mingled with the dust upon 
 the panes of glass : still here and there a glittering of 
 silver vessels could be discerned, for the glass doors had 
 protected them from turning black, although much dimmed 
 in lustre. 
 
 On the wall facing the window were other prints, in 
 frames equally veiled in damp and cobwebs, and also two 
 bird-cages. The bird-cages Philip approached, and looked 
 into them. The occupants, of course, had long been dead ; 
 but at the bottom of the cages was a small heap of yellow 
 feathers, through which the Httle white bones of the 
 
30 The Phantom Ship 
 
 skeletons were to be seen, proving that they had been 
 brought from the Canary Isles ; and, at that period, such 
 birds were highly valued. Philip appeared to wish to 
 examine everything before he sought that which he most 
 dreaded, yet most wished, to find. There were several 
 chairs round the room : on one of them was some linen ; 
 he took it up. It was some that must have belonged to 
 him when he was yet a child. At last, Philip turned his 
 eyes to the wall not yet examined (that opposite the 
 chimney-piece), through which the door was pierced, and 
 behind the door as it lay open, he was to find the table, 
 the couch, the workbox, and the fatal letter. As he 
 turned round, his pulse, which had gradually recovered its 
 regular motion, beat more quickly ; but he made the effort, 
 and it was over. At first he examined the walls, against 
 which were hung swords and pistols of various sorts, but 
 chiefly Asiatic bows and arrows, and other implements of 
 destruction. Philip's eyes gradually descended upon the 
 table, and little couch behind it, where his mother stated 
 herself to have been seated when his father made his 
 awful visit. The workbox and all its implements were on 
 the table, just as she had left them. The keys she 
 mentioned were also lying there, but Philip looked, and 
 looked again ; there was no letter. He now advanced 
 nearer, examined closely — there was none that he could 
 perceive, either on the couch or on the table — or on the 
 floor. He lifted up the workbox to ascertain if it was 
 beneath — but no. He examined among its contents, but 
 no letter was there. He turned over the pillows of the 
 couch, but still there was no letter to be found. And 
 Philip felt as if there had been a heavy load removed from 
 his panting chest. " Surely, then," thought he, as he 
 leant against the wall, *' this must have been the vision of 
 a heated imagination. My poor mother must have fallen 
 asleep, and dreamt this horrid tale. I thought it was 
 impossible, at least I hoped so. It must have been as I 
 suppose; the dream was too powerful, too like a fearful 
 reality, partially unseated my poor mother's reason." 
 
The Phantom Ship 31 
 
 Philip reflected again, and was then satisfied that his 
 suppositions were correct. 
 
 ** Yes, it must have been so, poor dear mother ! how 
 much thou hast suffered ! but thou art now rewarded, and 
 with God." 
 
 After a few minutes (during which he surveyed the 
 room again and again with more coolness, and perhaps some 
 indifference, now that he regarded the supernatural history 
 as not true), Philip took out of his pocket the written 
 paper found with the key, and read it over. — **The iron 
 cupboard under the buffet farthest from the window." 
 ** 'Tis well." He took the bunch of keys from off the 
 table, and soon fitted one to the outside wooden doors 
 which concealed the iron safe. A second key on the bunch 
 opened the iron doors ; and Philip found himself in posses- 
 sion of a considerable sum of money, amounting, as near 
 as he could reckon, to ten thousand guilders, in little 
 yellow sacks. " My poor mother ! " thought he ; " and 
 has a mere dream scared thee to penury and want, with 
 all this wealth in thy possession ? " Philip replaced the 
 sacks, and locked up the cupboards, after having taken 
 out of one, already half emptied, a few pieces for his 
 immediate wants. His attention was next directed to 
 the buffets above, which, with one of the keys, he 
 opened ; he found that they contained china, silver 
 flagons, and cups of considerable value. The locks were 
 again turned, and the bunch of keys thrown upon the 
 table. 
 
 The sudden possession of so much wealth added to the 
 conviction, to which Philip had now arrived, that there had 
 been no supernatural appearance, as supposed by his 
 mother, naturally revived and composed his spirits ; and 
 he felt a reaction which amounted almost to hilarity. 
 Seating himself on the couch, he was soon in a reverie, 
 and as before, reverted to the lovely daughter of Mynheer 
 Poots, indulging in various castle-buildings, all ending, as 
 usual, when we choose for ourselves, in competence and 
 felicity. In this pleasing occupation he remained for more 
 
32 The Phantom Ship 
 
 than two hours, when his thoughts again reverted to his 
 poor mother and her fearful death. 
 
 " Dearest, kindest mother ! " apostrophised Philip aloud, 
 as he rose from his leaning position, " here thou wert, 
 tired with watching over my infant slumbers, thinking of 
 my absent father and his dangers, working up thy mind 
 and anticipating evil, till thy fevered sleep conjured up 
 this apparition. Yes, it must have been so, for see here, 
 lying on the floor, is the embroidery, as it fell from thy 
 unconscious hands, and with that labour ceased thy 
 happiness in this life. Dear, dear mother ! " continued 
 he, a tear rolling down his cheek as he stooped to pick up 
 the piece of muslin, "how much hast thou suffered when 
 
 God of Heaven ! " exclaimed Philip, as he lifted up 
 
 the embroidery, starting back with violence, and over-- 
 turning the table, " God of Heaven and of Judgment,, 
 there is — there ^V," and Philip clasped his hands, and 
 bowed his head in awe and anguish, as in a changed and 
 fearful tone he muttered forth — " the Letter ! " 
 
 It was but too true, — underneath the embroidery on the 
 floor had lain the fatal letter of Vanderdecken. Had Philip 
 ^een it on the table when he first went into the room, and 
 was prepared to find it, he would have taken it up with 
 some degree of composure ; but to find it now, when he 
 had persuaded himself that it was all an illusion on the 
 part of his mother ; when he had made up his mind that 
 there had been no supernatural agency ; after he had been 
 indulging in visions of future bliss and repose, was a 
 shock that transfixed him where he stood, and for some 
 time he remained in his attitude of surprise and terror. 
 Down at once fell the airy fabric of happiness which he 
 had built up during the last two hours ; and as he 
 gradually recovered from his alarm, his heart filled with 
 melancholy forebodings. At last he dashed forward, 
 seized the letter, and burst out of the fatal room. 
 
 ** I cannot, dare not, read it here," exclaimed he ; ** no, 
 no, it must be under the vault of high and offended 
 Heaven, that the message must be received." Philip took 
 
The Phantom Ship ^^ 
 
 his hat, and went out of the house; in calm despair he 
 locked the door, took out the key, and walked he knew 
 not whither. 
 
 Chapter IV 
 
 If the reader can imagine the feelings of a man who, 
 sentenced to death, and having resigned himself to his fate, 
 finds himself unexpectedly reprieved ; who, having re- 
 composed his mind after the agitation arising from a 
 renewal of those hopes and expectations which he had 
 abandoned, once more dwells upon future prospects, and 
 indulges in pleasing anticipations : we say, that if the 
 reader can imagine this, and then what would be that 
 man's feelings when he finds that the reprieve is revoked, 
 and that he is to suffer, he may then form some idea 
 of the state of Philip's mind when he quitted the cottage. 
 
 Long did he walk, careless in which direction, with the 
 letter in his clenched hand, and his teeth firmly set. 
 Gradually he became more composed : and out of breath 
 with the rapidity of his motion, he sat down upon a bank, 
 and there he long remained, with his eyes riveted upon 
 the dreaded paper, which he held with both his hands 
 upon his knees. 
 
 Mechanically he turned the letter over *, the seal was 
 black. Philip sighed. — " I cannot read it now," thought 
 he, and he rose and continued his devious way. 
 
 For another half-hour did Philip keep in motion, and 
 the sun was not many degrees above the horizon. Philip 
 stopped and looked at it till his vision failed. " I could 
 imagine that it was the eye of God," thought Philip, 
 " and perhaps it may be. Why then, merciful Creator, 
 am I thus selected from so many millions to fulfil so dire 
 a task ? " 
 
 Philip looked about him for some spot where he might 
 be concealed from observation — where he might break 
 the seal, and read this mission from a world of spirits, 
 p.s. c 
 
34 The Phantom Ship 
 
 A small copse of brushwood, in advance of a grove of 
 trees, was not far from where he stood. He walked to 
 it, and sat down, so as to be concealed from any passers- 
 by. Philip once more looked at the descending orb of 
 day, and by degrees he became composed. 
 
 "It is thy will," exclaimed he ; ** it is my fate, and 
 both must be accomplished." 
 
 Philip put his hand to the seal, — his blood thrilled 
 when he called to mind that it had been delivered by no 
 mortal hand, and that it contained the secret of one in 
 judgment. He remembered that that one was his father ; 
 and that it was only in the letter that there was hope, — 
 hope for his poor father, whose memory he had been 
 taught to love, and who appealed for help. 
 
 " Coward that I am, to have lost so many hours ! " 
 exclaimed Philip ; ** yon sun appears as if waiting on 
 the hill, to give me light to read." 
 
 Philip mused a short time -, he was once more the 
 daring Vanderdecken. Calmly he broke the seal, which 
 bore the initials of his father's name, and read as 
 follows : — 
 
 ** To Catherine. 
 
 " One of those pitying spirits whose eyes rain tears for 
 mortal crimes has been permitted to inform me by what 
 means alone my dreadful doom may be averted. 
 
 ** Could I but receive on the deck of my own ship the 
 holy relic upon which I swore the fatal oath, kiss it in all 
 humility, and shed one tear of deep contrition on the 
 sacred wood, I then might rest in peace. 
 
 " How this may be effected, or by whom so fatal a task 
 will be undertaken, I know not. O Catherine, we have 
 a son — but, no, no, let him not hear of me. Pray for me, 
 and now, farewell. " I. Vanderdecken." 
 
 " Then it is true, most horribly true," thought Philip ; 
 ** and my father is even now in living judgment. And 
 
The Phantom Ship ^s 
 
 he points to me — to whom else should he? Am I not 
 his son, and is it not my duty ? 
 
 " Yes, father," exclaimed Philip aloud, falling on his 
 knees, *'you have not written these lines in vain. Let 
 me peruse them once more." 
 
 Philip raised up his hand ; but although it appeared to 
 him that he had still hold of the letter, it was not there — 
 he grasped nothing. He looked on the grass to see if it 
 had fallen — but no, there was no letter, it had disappeared. 
 Was it a vision ? — no, no, he had read every word. 
 " Then it must be to me, and me alone, that the mission 
 was intended. I accept the sign. 
 
 " Hear me, dear father, — if thou art so permitted, — 
 and deign to hear me, gracious Heaven — hear the son 
 who, by this sacred relic, swears that he will avert your 
 doom, or perish. To that will he devote his days 5 and 
 having done his duty, he will die in hope and peace. 
 Heaven, that recorded my rash father's oath, now register 
 his son's upon the same sacred cross, and may perjury on 
 my part be visited with punishment more dire than his ! 
 Receive it. Heaven, as at the last I trust that in thy 
 mercy thou wilt receive the father and the son ! and if 
 too bold, O pardon my presumption." 
 
 Philip threw himself forward on his face, with his 
 lips to the sacred symbol. The sun went down, and 
 twilight gradually disappeared ; night had, for some 
 time, shrouded all in darkness, and Philip yet remained 
 in alternate prayer and meditation. 
 
 But he was disturbed by the voices of some men, who 
 sat down upon the turf but a few yards from where he 
 was concealed. The conversation he little heeded ; but 
 it had roused him, and his first feeling was to return to 
 the cottage, that he might reflect over his plans ; but 
 although the men spoke in a low tone, his attention was 
 soon arrested by the subject of their conversation, when 
 he heard the name mentioned of Mynheer Poots. He 
 listened attentively, and discovered that they were four 
 disbanded soldiers, who intended that night to attack the 
 
;^6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 house of the little doctor, who had, they knew, much 
 money in his possession. 
 
 " What I have proposed is the best," said one of them j 
 " he has no one with him but his daughter." 
 
 " I value her more than his money," replied another -, 
 ** so, recollect before we go, it is perfectly understood that 
 she is to be my property." 
 
 " Yes, if you choose to purchase her, there's no 
 objection," replied a third. 
 
 " Agreed -, how much will you in conscience ask for a 
 puling girl ? " 
 
 " I say five hundred guilders," replied another. 
 
 ** Well, be it so, but on this condition, that if my share 
 of the booty does not amount to so much, I am to have 
 her for my share, whatever it may be." 
 
 "That's very fair," replied the other ; "but I'm much 
 mistaken if we don't turn more than two thousand guilders 
 out of the old man's chest." 
 
 " What do you two say — is it agreed — shall Baetens 
 have her ? " 
 
 ** O yes," replied the others. 
 
 " Well, then," replied the one who had stipulated for 
 Mynheer Foots' daughter, " now I am with you, heart and 
 soul. I loved that girl, and tried to get her, — I positively 
 offered to marry her, but the old hunks refused me, an 
 ensign, an officer -, but now I'll have revenge. We must 
 not spare him." 
 
 " No, no," replied the others. 
 
 " Shall we go now, or wait till it is later ? In an hour 
 or more the moon will be up, — we may be seen." 
 
 ** Who is to see us ? unless, indeed, some one is sent for 
 him. The later the better, I say." 
 
 " How long will it take us to get there ? Not half an 
 hour, if we walk. Suppose we start in half an hour hence, 
 we shall just have the moon to count the guilders by." 
 
 " That's all right. In the meantime I'll put a new flint 
 in my lock, and have my carbine loaded. I can work ia 
 the dark." 
 
The Phantom Ship ^y 
 
 ** You are used to it, Jan. 
 
 " Yes, I am, — and I intend this ball to go through the 
 old rascal's head.** 
 
 " Well, I*d rather you should kill him than I,'* replied 
 one of the others, " for he saved my life at Middleburgh, 
 when everyone made sure I'd die." 
 
 Philip did not wait to hear any more ; he crawled 
 behind the bushes until he gained the grove of trees, and 
 passing through them, made a detour, so as not to be seen 
 by these miscreants. That they were disbanded soldiers, 
 many of whom were infesting the country, he knew well. 
 All his thoughts were now to save the old doctor and his 
 daughter from the danger which threatened them ; and 
 for a time he forgot his father, and the exciting revelations 
 of the day. Although Philip had not been aware in what 
 direction he had walked when he set off from the cottage, 
 he knew the country well ; and now that it was necessary 
 to act, he remembered the direction in which he should 
 find the lonely house of Mynheer Poots : with the utmost 
 speed he made his way for it, and in less than twenty 
 minutes he arrived there, out of breath. 
 
 As usual, all was silent, and the door fastened. Philip 
 knocked, but there was no reply. Again and again he 
 knocked, and became impatient. Mynheer Poots must 
 have been summoned, and was not in the house ; Philip 
 therefore called out, so as to be heard within. " Maiden, 
 if your father is out, as I presume he must be, listen to 
 what I have to say — I am Philip Vanderdecken. But now 
 I overheard four wretches who have planned to murder 
 your father, and rob him of his gold. In one hour or less 
 they will be here, and I have hastened to warn and to 
 protect you, if I may. I swear upon the relic that you 
 delivered to me this morning that what I state is 
 true." 
 
 Philip waited a short time, but received no answer. 
 
 " Maiden," resumed he, " answer me, if you value that 
 which is more dear to you, than even your father's gold to 
 him. Open the casement above, and listen to what I have 
 
38 The Phantom Ship 
 
 to say. In so doing there is no risk ; and even if it were 
 not dark, already have I seen you." 
 
 A short time after this second address, the casement of 
 the upper window was unbarred, and the slight form of 
 the fair daughter of Mynheer Foots was to be distinguished 
 by Philip through the gloom. 
 
 "What wouldst thou, young sir, at this unseemly hour ? 
 and what is it thou wouldst impart, but imperfectly heard 
 by me, when thou spokest this minute at the door ? " 
 
 Philip then entered into a detail of all that he had over- 
 heard, and concluded by begging her to admit him, that he 
 might defend her. 
 
 " Think, fair maiden, of what I have told you. You 
 have been sold to one of those reprobates, whose name I 
 think they mentioned, was Baetens. The gold, I know, 
 you value not ; but think of thine own dear self — suffer 
 me to enter the house, and think not for one moment that 
 my story's feigned. I swear to thee, by the soul of my 
 poor dear mother, now, I trust, in heaven, that every word 
 is true." 
 
 ** Baetens, said you, sir ? " 
 
 ** If I mistook them not, such was the name ; he said he 
 loved you once." 
 
 ** That name I have in memory — I know not what to do 
 or what to say — my father has been summoned to a birth, 
 and may be yet away for many hours. Yet how can I 
 open the door to you — at night — he is not at home — I 
 alone ? I ought not — cannot — yet do I believe you. You 
 surely never could be so base as to invent this tale." 
 
 ** No — upon my hopes of future bliss I could not, 
 maiden ! You must not trifle with your life and honour, 
 but let me in." 
 
 " And if I did, what could you do against such numbers ? 
 They are four to one — would soon overpower you, and 
 one more life would be lost." 
 
 " Not if you have arms ; and I think your father would 
 not be left without them. I fear them not — you know 
 that I am resolute." 
 
The Phantom Ship 39 
 
 " I do indeed — and now you'd risk your life for those 
 you did assail. I thank you — thank you kindly, sir — but 
 dare not open the door." 
 
 " Then, maiden, if you'll not admit me, here will I now 
 remain ; without arms, and but ill able to contend with 
 four armed villains ; but still, here will I remain and prove 
 my truth to one I will protect against any odds — yes, even 
 here ! " 
 
 " Then shall I be thy murderer ! — but that must not be. 
 Oh I sir — swear, swear by all that's holy, and by all that's 
 pure, that you do not deceive me." 
 
 "I swear by thyself, maiden, than all to me more 
 sacred ! " 
 
 The casement closed, and in a short time a light 
 appeared above. In a minute or two more the door was 
 opened to Philip by the fair daughter of Mynheer Foots. 
 She stood with the candle in her right hand, the colour in 
 her cheeks varying — now flushing red, and again deadly 
 pale. Her left hand was down by her side, and in it she 
 held a pistol half concealed. Philip perceived this precau- 
 tion on her part but took no notice of it j he wished to 
 reassure her. 
 
 "Maiden!" said he, not entering, " if you still have 
 doubts — if you think you have been ill-advised in giving 
 me admission — there is yet time to close the door against 
 me : but for your own sake I entreat you not. Before the 
 moon is up, the robbers will be here. With my life I will 
 protect you, if you will but trust me. Who indeed could 
 injure one like you ? " 
 
 She was indeed (as she stood irresolute and perplexed 
 from the peculiarity of her situation, yet not wanting in 
 courage when it was to be called forth) an object well 
 worthy of gaze and admiration. Her features thrown into 
 broad light and shade by the candle which at times was 
 half extinguished by the wind — her symmetry of form and 
 the gracefulness and singularity of her attire — were matter 
 of astonishment to Philip. Her head was without cover- 
 ing, and her long hair fell in plaits behind her shoulders ; 
 
40 The Phantom Ship 
 
 her stature was rather under the middle size, but her form 
 perfect ; her dress was simple but becoming, and very 
 different from that usually worn by the young women 
 of the district. Not only her features but her dress would 
 at once have indicated to a traveller that she was of Arab 
 blood, as was the fact. 
 
 She looked in Philip's face as she spoke — earnestly, as if 
 she would have penetrated into his inmost thoughts -, but 
 there was a frankness and honesty in his bearing, and a 
 sincerity in his manly countenance, which reassured her. 
 After a moment's hesitation she replied — 
 
 " Come in, sir ; I feel that I can trust you." 
 
 Philip entered. The door was then closed and made 
 secure. 
 
 "We have no time to lose, maiden," said Philip: "but 
 tell me your name, that I may address you as I ought." 
 
 ** My name is Amine," replied she, retreating a little. 
 
 ** I thank you for that little confidence ; but I must not 
 dally. "What arms have you in the house, and have you 
 ammunition ? " 
 
 ** Both. I wish that my father would come home." 
 
 " And so do I," replied Philip, " devoutly wish he 
 would, before these murderers come ; but riot, I trust, 
 while the attack is making, for there's a carbine loaded 
 expressly for his head, and if they make him prisoner, 
 they will not spare his life, unless his gold and your person 
 are given in ransom. But the arms, maiden — where are 
 they?" 
 
 ** Follow me," replied Amine, leading Philip to an inner 
 room on the upper floor. It was the sanctum of her father, 
 and was surrounded with shelves filled with bottles and 
 boxes of drugs. In one corner was an iron chest, and over 
 the mantel-piece were a brace of carbines and three pistols. 
 
 "They are all loaded," observed Amine, pointing to 
 them, and laying on the table the one which she had held 
 in her hand. 
 
 Philip took down the arms, and examined all the prim- 
 ings. He then took up from the table the pistol which 
 
The Phantom Ship 41 
 
 Amine had laid there, and threw open the pan. It was 
 equally well prepared. Philip closed the pan, and with a 
 smile observed, 
 
 " So this was meant for me, Amine ? " 
 
 " No — not for you — but for a traitor, had one gained 
 admittance." 
 
 "Now, maiden," observed Philip, **I shall station 
 myself at the casement which you opened, but without a 
 light in the room. You may remain here, and can turn the 
 key for your security." 
 
 ** You little know me," replied Amine. " In that way 
 at least I am not fearful ; I must remain near you and 
 reload the arms — a task in which I am well practised." 
 
 "No, no," replied Philip ; " you might be hurt." 
 
 ** I may. But think you I will remain here idly, when I 
 can assist one who risks his life for me ? I know my duty, 
 sir, and I shall perform it." 
 
 " You must not risk your life. Amine," replied Philip ; 
 "my aim will not be steady, if I know that you're in 
 danger. But I must take the arms into the other chamber, 
 for the time is come." 
 
 Philip, assisted by Amine, carried the carbines and pistols 
 into the adjoining chamber ; and Amine then left Philip, 
 carrying with her the light. Philip, as soon as he was 
 alone, opened the casement and looked out — there was no 
 one to be seen ; he listened, but all was silent. The moon 
 was just rising above the distant hill, but her light was 
 dimmed by fleecy clouds, and PhiHp watched for a few 
 minutes ; at length he heard a whispering below. He 
 looked out, and could distinguish through the dark the 
 four expected assailants, standing close to the door of the 
 house. He walked away softly from the window, and 
 went into the next room to Amine, whom he found busy 
 preparing the ammunition. 
 
 " Amine, they are at the door, in consultation. You can 
 see them now, without risk. I thank them, for they will 
 convince you that I have told the truth." 
 
 Amine, without reply, went into the front room and 
 
42 The Phantom Ship 
 
 looked out of the window. She returned, and laying her 
 hand upon Philip's arm, she said — 
 
 " Grant me your pardon for my doubts. I fear nothing 
 now but that my father may return too soon, and they 
 seize him." 
 
 Philip left the room again, to make his reconnaissance. 
 The robbers did not appear to have made up their mind — 
 the strength of the door defied their utmost efforts, so they 
 attempted stratagem. They knocked, and as there was no 
 reply, they continued to knock louder and louder : not 
 meeting with success they held another consultation, and 
 the muzzle of a carbine was then put to the keyhole, and 
 the piece discharged. The lock of the door was blown 
 off, but the iron bars which crossed the door within, above 
 and below, still held it fast. 
 
 Although Philip would have been justified in firing upon 
 the robbers when he first perceived them in consultation at 
 the door, still there is that feeling in a generous mind 
 which prevents the taking away of life, except from stern 
 necessity ; and this feeling made him withhold his fire 
 until hostilities had actually commenced. He now levelled 
 one of the carbines at the head of the robber nearest to the 
 door, who was busy examining the effect which the dis- 
 charge of the piece had made, and what further obstacles 
 intervened. The aim was true, and the man fell dead, 
 while the others started back with surprise at the un- 
 expected retaliation. But in a second or two a pistol was 
 discharged at Philip, who still remained leaning out of the 
 casement, fortunately without effect ; and the next moment 
 he felt himself drawn away, so as to be protected from 
 their fire. It was Amine, who, unknown to Philip, had 
 been standing by his side. 
 
 " You must not expose yourself, Philip," said she, in a 
 low tone. 
 
 She called me Philip, thought he, but made no reply. 
 
 "They will be watching for you at the casement now," 
 said Amine. " Take the other carbine, and go below in 
 the passage. If the lock of the door is blown off, they 
 
The Phantom Ship 43 
 
 may put their arms in perhaps, and remove the bars. I 
 do not think they can, but I'm not sure ; at all events, 
 it is there you should now be, as there they will not 
 expect you." 
 
 " You are right," replied Philip, going down. 
 
 "But you must not fire more than once there; if another 
 fall, there will be but two to deal with, and they cannot 
 watch the casement and force admittance to. Go — I will 
 reload the carbine." 
 
 Philip descended softly and without a light. He went 
 up to the door and perceived that one of the miscreants, 
 with his arms through the hole where the lock was blown 
 off, was working at the upper iron bar, which he could 
 just reach. He presented his carbine, and was about to 
 fire the whole charge into the body of the man under his 
 raised arm, when there was a report of fire-arms from the 
 robbers outside. 
 
 ** Amine has exposed herself," thought Philip, "and 
 may be hurt." 
 
 The desire of vengeance prompted him first to fire his 
 piece through the man's body, and then he flew up the 
 stairs to ascertain the state of Amine. She was not at the 
 casement ; he darted into the inner room^ and found her 
 deliberately loading the carbine. 
 
 " My God ! how you frightened me. Amine. I 
 thought by their firing that you had shown yourself at 
 the window." 
 
 "Indeed I did not; but I thought that when you fired 
 through the door they might return your fire, and you be 
 hurt ; so I went to the side of the casement and pushed 
 out on a stick some of my father's clothes, and they who 
 were watching for you fired immediately." 
 
 " Indeed, Amine ! who could have expected such courage 
 and such coolness in one so young and beautiful ? " 
 exclaimed Philip, with surprise. 
 
 " Are none but ill-favoured people brave, then ? " replied 
 Amine, smiling. 
 
 " I did not mean that. Amine — but I am losing time. I 
 
44 The Phantom Ship 
 
 must to the door again. Give me that carbine, and reload 
 this." 
 
 Philip crept downstairs that he might reconnoitre, but 
 before he had gained the door he heard at a distance the 
 voice of Mynheer Poots. Amine, who also heard it, was 
 in a moment at his side with a loaded pistol in each hand. 
 
 ** Fear not, Amine," said Philip, as he unbarred the 
 door, " there are but two, and your father shall be saved." 
 
 The door was opened, and Philip, seizing his carbine, 
 rushed out ; he found Mynheer Poots on the ground 
 between the two men, one of whom had raised his knife 
 to plunge it into his body, when the ball of the carbine 
 whizzed through his head. The last of the robbers 
 closed with Philip, and a desperate struggle ensued ; it 
 was, however, soon decided by Amine stepping forward 
 and firing one of the pistols through the robber's body. 
 
 We must here inform our readers that Mynheer Poots, 
 when coming home, had heard the report of fire-arms in 
 the direction of his own house. The recollection of his 
 daughter and of his money — for to do him justice he did 
 love her best — had lent him wings ; he forgot that he was 
 a feeble old man and without arms ; all he thought of was 
 to gain his habitation. On he came, reckless, frantic, and 
 shouting, and rushed into the arms of the two robbers, 
 who seized and would have despatched him, had not 
 Philip so opportunely come to his assistance. 
 
 As soon as the last robber fell, Philip disengaged him- 
 self and went to the assistance of Mynheer Poots, whom 
 he raised up in his arms, and carried into the house as if he 
 were an infant. The old man was still in a state of 
 delirium from fear and previous excitement. 
 
 In a few minutes Mynheer Poots was more coherent. 
 
 ** My daughter ! " exclaimed he — " my daughter ! where 
 is she?" 
 
 " She is here, father, and safe," replied Amine. 
 
 ** Ah ! my child is safe," said he, opening his eyes and 
 staring. ** Yes, it is even so — and my money — my money 
 — where is my money ? " continued he, starting up. 
 
The Phantom Ship 45 
 
 '* Quite safe, father." 
 
 " Quite safe — you say quite safe — are you sure of it ? — 
 let me see." 
 
 " There it is, father, as you may perceive, quite safe — 
 thanks to one whom you have not treated so welL" 
 
 ** Who — what do you mean ? — Ah, yes, I see him now 
 — *tis PhiHp Vanderdecken— he owes me three guilders 
 and a half, and there is a phial — did he save you — and my 
 money, child ? " 
 
 "He did, indeed, at the risk of his life." 
 " Well, well, I will forgive him the whole debt — yes, 
 the whole of it ; but — the phial is of no use to him — he 
 must return that. Give me some water." 
 
 It was some time before the old man could regain his 
 perfect reason. PhiHp left him with his daughter, and, 
 taking a brace of loaded pistols, went out to ascertain the 
 fate of the four assailants. The moon having climbed 
 above the banks of clouds which had obscured her, was 
 now high in the heavens, shining bright, and he could 
 distinguish clearly. The two men lying across the thres- 
 hold of the door were quite dead. The others, who had 
 seized upon Mynheer Poots, were still alive, but one was 
 expiring and the other bled fast. Philip put a few 
 questions to the latter, but he either would not or could 
 not make any reply; he removed their weapons and re- 
 turned to the house, where he found the old man attended 
 by his daughter, in a state of comparative composure. 
 
 ** I thank you, Philip Vanderdecken — I thank you 
 much. You have saved my dear child, and my money — 
 that is little, very little — for I am poor. May you live 
 long and happily ! " 
 
 Philip mused; the letter and his vow were, for the 
 first time since he fell in with the robbers, recalled to 
 his recollection, and a shade passed over his countenance. 
 
 ** Long and happily — no, no," muttered he, with an 
 involuntary shake of the head. 
 
 ** And I must thank you," said Amine, looking inquir- 
 ingly in Philip's face. " O, how much have I to thank 
 you for ! — and indeed I am grateful." 
 
46 The Phantom Ship 
 
 "Yes, yes, she is very grateful," interrupted the old 
 man ; " but we are poor — very poor. I talked about 
 my money because I have so little, and I cannot afford 
 to lose it ; but you shall not pay me the three guilders 
 and a half — I am content to lose that, Mr Philip." 
 
 " Why should you lose even that. Mynheer Poots ? — 
 I promised to pay you, and will keep my word. I have 
 plenty of money — thousands of guilders, and know not 
 what to do with them." 
 
 ** You — you — thousands of guilders!" exclaimed Poots. 
 " Pooh, nonsense, that won't do." 
 
 "I repeat to you. Amine," said Philip, "that I have 
 thousands of guilders : you know I would not tell you 
 a falsehood." 
 
 " I believed you when you said so to my father," re- 
 plied Amine. 
 
 " Then perhaps, as you have so much, and I am so 
 very poor, Mr Vanderdecken " 
 
 But Amine put her hand upon her father's lips, and 
 the sentence was not finished. 
 
 " Father," said Amine, "it is time that we retire. 
 You must leave us for to-night, Philip." 
 
 " I will not," replied Philip ; " nor, you may depend 
 upon it, will I sleep. You may both to bed in safety. 
 It is indeed time that you retire — good-night, Mynheer 
 Poots. I will but ask a lamp, and then I leave you — 
 Amine, good-night." 
 
 " Good-night," said Amine, extending her hand, " and 
 many, many thanks." 
 
 " Thousands of guilders ! " muttered the old man, as 
 Philip left the room and went below. 
 
 Chapter V 
 
 Philip Vanderdecken sat down at the porch of the door ; 
 he swept his hair from his forehead, which he exposed 
 
The Phantom Ship 47 
 
 to the fanning of the breeze •, for the continued excite- 
 ment of the last three days had left a fever on his brain 
 which made him restless and confused. He longed for 
 repose, but he knew that for him there was no rest. 
 He had his forebodings — he perceived in the vista of 
 futurity a long-continued chain of danger and disaster, 
 even to death ; yet he beheld it without emotion and 
 without dread. He felt as if it were only three days 
 that he had begun to exist ; he was melancholy, but not 
 unhappy. His thoughts were constantly recurring to the 
 fatal letter — its strange supernatural disappearance seemed 
 pointedly to establish its supernatural origin, and that the 
 mission had been intended for him alone ; and the relic 
 in his possession more fully substantiated the fact. 
 
 It is my fate, my duty, thought Philip. Having satis- 
 factorily made up his mind to these conclusions, his 
 thoughts reverted to the beauty, the courage, and presence 
 of mind shown by Amine. And, thought he, as he 
 watched the moon soaring high in the heavens, is this 
 fair creature's destiny to be interwoven with mine ? The 
 events of the last three days would almost warrant the 
 supposition. Heaven only knows, and Heaven's will be 
 done. I have vowed, and my vow is registered, that I 
 will devote my life to the release of my unfortunate father 
 — but does that prevent my loving Amine ? — No, no ; 
 the sailor on the Indian seas must pass months and months 
 on shore before he can return to his duty. My search 
 must be on the broad ocean, but how often may I return ? 
 and why am I to be debarred the solace of a smiling 
 hearth ? — and yet — do I right in winning the affections 
 of one who, if she loves, would, I am convinced, love 
 so dearly, fondly, truly — ought I to persuade her to mate 
 herself with one whose life will be so precarious ? — but 
 is not every sailor's life precarious, daring the angry 
 waves, with but an inch of plank 'tween him and death ? 
 Besides, I am chosen to fulfil a task — and if so, what 
 can hurt me, till in Heaven's own time it is accomplished ? 
 but then how soon, and how is it to end ? — in death ! 
 
48 The Phantom Ship 
 
 I wish my blood were cooler, that I might reason 
 better. 
 
 Such were the meditations of Philip Vanderdecken, and 
 long did he revolve such chances in his mind. At last the 
 day dawned, and as he perceived the blush upon the 
 horizon, less careful of his watch he slumbered where he 
 sat. A slight pressure on the shoulder made him start up 
 and draw the pistol from his bosom. He turned round 
 and beheld Amine. 
 
 " And that pistol was intended for me," said Amine, 
 smiling, repeating Philip's words of the night before. 
 
 " For you, Amine ? — yes, to defend you, if 'twere 
 necessary, once more." 
 
 " I know it would — how kind of you to watch this 
 tedious night after so much exertion and fatigue ! but it is 
 now broad day." 
 
 " Until I saw the dawn. Amine, I kept a faithful 
 watch." 
 
 "But now retire and take some rest. My father is 
 risen — you can lie down on his bed." 
 
 ** I thank you, but I feel no wish for sleep. There 
 is much to do. We must to the burgomaster and state 
 the facts, and these bodies must remain where they are 
 until the whole is known. "Will your father go. Amine, 
 or shall I ? " 
 
 " My father surely is the more proper person, as the 
 proprietor of the house. You must remain ; and if you 
 will not sleep, you must take some refreshment. I will go 
 in and tell my father ; he has already taken his morning's 
 meal." 
 
 Amine went in, and soon returned with her father, who 
 had consented to go to the burgomaster. He saluted 
 Philip kindly as he came out ; shuddered as he passed on 
 one side to avoid stepping over the dead bodies, and went 
 off at a quick pace to the adjacent town, where the burgo- 
 master resided. 
 
 Amine desired Philip to follow her, and they went into 
 her father's room, where, to his surprise, he found some 
 
The Phantom Ship 49 
 
 coffee ready for him — at that time a rarity, and one which 
 Philip did not expect to find in the house of the penurious 
 Mynheer Poots 5 but it was a luxury which, from his 
 former life, the old man could not dispense with. 
 
 Philip, who had not tasted food for nearly twenty-four 
 hours, was not sorry to avail himself of what was placed 
 before him. Amine sat down opposite to him, and was 
 silent during his repast. 
 
 " Amine," said Philip at last, " I have had plenty of 
 time for reflection during this night, as I watched at the 
 door. May I speak freely ? " 
 
 " Why not ? " replied Amine. ** I feel assured that you 
 wiU say nothing that you should not say, or should not 
 meet a maiden's ear." 
 
 " You do me justice. Amine. My thoughts have been 
 upon you and your father. You cannot stay in this lone 
 habitation." 
 
 " I feel it is too lonely ; that is, for his safety — perhaps 
 for mine — but you know my father — the very loneliness 
 suits him, the price paid for rent is little, and he is careful 
 of his money." 
 
 " The man who would be careful of his money should 
 place it in security — here it is not secure. Now hear me, 
 Amine. I have a cottage surrounded, as you may have 
 heard, by many others, which mutually protect each other. 
 That cottage I am about to leave — perhaps for ever ; for I 
 intend to sail by the first ship to the Indian seas." 
 
 ** The Indian seas ! why so .? — did you not last night 
 talk of thousands of guilders ? " 
 
 " I did, and they are there ; but. Amine, I must go — it 
 is my duty. Ask me no more, but listen to what I now 
 propose. Your father must live in my cottage ; he must 
 take care of it for me in my absence ; he will do me a 
 favour by consenting, and you must persuade him. You 
 will there be safe. He must also take care of my money 
 for me. I want it not at present — I cannot take it with me." 
 
 " My father is not to be trusted with the money of 
 other people." 
 
 p.s. D 
 
50 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " Why does your father hoard ? He cannot take his 
 money with him when he is called away. It must be all 
 for you — and is not then my money safe ? " 
 
 ** Leave it then in my charge, and it will be safe ; but 
 why need you go and risk your life upon the water, when 
 you have such ample means ? " 
 
 "Amine, ask not that question. It is my duty as a 
 son, and more I cannot tell, at least at present." 
 
 "If it is your duty, I ask no more. It was not 
 womanish curiosity — no, no — it was a better feeling, I 
 assure you, which prompted me to put the question." 
 
 " And what was the better feeling. Amine ? " 
 
 "I hardly know — many good feelings perhaps mixed 
 up together — gratitude, esteem, respect, confidence, good- 
 will. Are not these sufficient ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed. Amine, and much to gain upon so short 
 an acquaintance ; but still I feel them all, and more, for 
 you. If, then, you feel so much for me, do oblige me 
 by persuading your father to leave this lonely house this 
 day, and take up his abode in mine." 
 
 " And where do you intend to go yourself?" 
 
 " If your father will not admit me as a boarder for the 
 short time I remain here, I will seek some shelter else- 
 where; but if he will, I will indemnify him well^that 
 is, if you raise no objection to my being for a few days 
 in the house ? " 
 
 "Why should I? Our habitation is no longer safe, 
 and you offer us a shelter. It were, indeed, unjust and 
 most ungrateful to turn you out from beneath your own 
 roof." 
 
 " Then persuade him. Amine. I will accept of nothing, 
 but take it as a favour; for I should depart in sorrow 
 if I saw you not in safety. — Will you promise me ? " 
 
 "I do promise to use my best endeavours — nay, I 
 may as well say at once it shall be so; for I know my 
 influence. Here is my hand upon it. Will that content 
 you?" 
 
 Philip took the small hand extended towards him. His 
 
The Phantom Ship 51 
 
 feelings overcame his discretion ; he raised it to his lips. 
 He looked up to see if Amine was displeased, and found 
 her dark eye fixed upon him, as once before when she 
 admitted him, as if she would see his thoughts — but the 
 hand was not withdrawn. 
 
 ** Indeed, Amine," said Philip, kissing her hand once 
 more, ** you may confide in me." 
 
 "I hope — I think — nay, I am sure I may," at last 
 replied she. 
 
 Philip released her hand. Amine returned to the seat, 
 and for some time remained silent and in a pensive attitude. 
 Philip also had his own thoughts, and did not open his 
 lips. At last Amine spoke. 
 
 " I think I have heard my father say that your mother 
 was very poor — a little deranged ; and that there was a 
 chamber in the house which had been shut up for 
 
 It was shut up till yesterday." 
 
 ** And there you found your money ? Did your mother 
 not know of the money ? " 
 
 ** She did, for she spoke of it on her death-bed." 
 
 " There must have been some potent reasons for not 
 opening the chamber." 
 
 '* There were." 
 
 "What were they, Philip?" said Amine, in a soft and 
 low tone of voice. 
 
 "I must not tell, at least I ought not. This must 
 satisfy you — ^'twas the fear of an apparition." 
 
 ** What apparition ? " 
 
 " She said that my father had appeared to her." 
 
 " And did he, think you, Philip ? " 
 
 " I have no doubt that he did. But I can answer no 
 more questions. Amine. The chamber is open now, and 
 there is no fear of his reappearance." 
 
 "I fear not that," replied Amine, musing. "But," 
 continued she, " is not this connected with your resolution 
 of going to sea ? " 
 
 " So far will I answer you, that it has decided me to 
 
52 The Phantom Ship 
 
 go to sea ; but I pray you ask no more. It is painful to 
 refuse you, and my duty forbids me to speak further." 
 
 For some minutes they were both silent, when Amine 
 resumed — 
 
 ** You were so anxious to possess that relic, that I 
 cannot help thinking it has connection with the mystery. 
 Is it not so ? " 
 
 ** For the last time, Amine, I will answer your question 
 — it has to do with it : but now no more." 
 
 Philip's blunt and almost rude manner of finishing his 
 speech was not lost upon Amine, who replied, 
 
 ** You are so engrossed with other thoughts, that you 
 have not felt the compliment shown you by my taking 
 such interest about you, sir," 
 
 " Yes, I do — I feel and thank you too. Amine. Forgive 
 me, if I have been rude ; but recollect, the secret is not 
 mine — at least, I feel as if it were not. God knows, I 
 wish I never had known it, for it has blasted all my hopes 
 in life." 
 
 Philip was silent; and when he raised his eyes, he found 
 that Amine's were fixed upon him. 
 
 "Would you read my thoughts. Amine, or my secret?'^ 
 
 ** Your thoughts perhaps — your secret I would not ; 
 yet do I grieve that it should oppress you so heavily as 
 evidently it does. It must, indeed, be one of awe to bear 
 down a mind like yours, Philip." 
 
 "Where did you learn to be so brave. Amine?" said 
 Philip, changing the conversation. 
 
 " Circumstances make people brave or otherwise ; those 
 who are accustomed to difficulty and danger fear them not." 
 
 " And where have you met with them. Amine ? " 
 
 " In the country where I was born, not in this dank and 
 muddy land." 
 
 " Will you trust me with the story of your former life, 
 Amine ? I can be secret, if you wish." 
 
 "That you can be secret perhaps, against my wish, you 
 have already proved to me," replied Amine, smiling ; "and 
 you have a claim to know something of the life you have 
 
The Phantom Ship ^^ 
 
 preserved. I cannot tell you much, but what I can will 
 be sufficient. My father, when a lad on board of a trading 
 vessel, was taken by the Moors, and sold as a slave to a 
 Hakim, or physician, of their country. Finding him very 
 intelligent, the Moor brought him up as an assistant, and 
 it was under this man that he obtained a knowledge of the 
 art. In a few years he was equal to his master ; but, as a 
 slave, he worked not for himself. You know, indeed it 
 cannot be concealed, my father's avarice. He sighed to 
 become as wealthy as his master, and to obtain his freedom-; 
 he became a follower of Mahomet, after which he was 
 free, and practised for himself. He took a wife from an 
 Arab family, the daughter of a chief whom he had restored 
 to health, and he settled in the country. I was born ; he 
 amassed wealth, and became much celebrated; but the 
 son of a Bey dying under his hands was the excuse for 
 persecuting him. His head was forfeited, but he escaped ; 
 not, however, without the loss of all his beloved wealth. 
 My mother and I went with him ; he fled to the Bedouins, 
 with whom we remained some years. There I was 
 accustomed to rapid marches, wild and fierce attacks, 
 defeat and flight, and oftentimes to indiscriminate 
 slaughter. But the Bedouins paid not well for my father's 
 services, and gold was his idol. Hearing that the Bey 
 was dead, he returned to Cairo, where he again practised. 
 He was allowed once more to amass until the heap was 
 sufficient to excite the cupidity of the new Bey ; but this 
 time he was fortunately made acquainted with the inten- 
 tions of the ruler. He again escaped, with a portion of 
 his wealth, in a small vessel, and gained the Spanish coast; 
 but he never has been able to retain his money long. 
 Before he arrived in this country he had been robbed of 
 almost all, and has now been for these three years laying 
 up again. We were but one year at Middleburgh, and 
 from thence removed to this place. Such is the history of 
 my life, Philip." 
 
 ** And does your father still hold the Mahomedan faith, 
 Amine .^" 
 
54 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " I know not. I think he holds no faith whatever : at 
 least he hath taught me none. His god is gold." 
 
 "And yours?" 
 
 "Is the God who made this beautiful world, and all 
 which it contains — the God of nature — name him as you 
 will. This I feel, Philip, but more I fain would know ; 
 there are so many faiths, but surely they must be but 
 different paths leading alike to heaven. Yours is the 
 Christian faith, Philip. Is it the true one ? But everyone 
 calls his own the true one, whatever his creed may be." 
 
 "It is the true and only one, Amine. Could I but 
 reveal — I have such dreadful proofs " 
 
 " That your faith is true ; then is it not your duty to 
 reveal these proofs ? Tell me, are you bound by any 
 solemn obligation never to reveal ? " 
 
 " No, I am not ; yet do I feel as if I were. But I hear 
 voices — it must be your father and the authorities — I must 
 go down and meet them." 
 
 Philip rose, and went downstairs. Amine's eyes 
 followed him as he went, and she remained looking 
 towards the door. 
 
 "Is it possible," said she, sweeping the hair from off 
 her brow, " so soon, — yes, yes, 'tis even so. I feel that I 
 would sooner share his hidden woe — his dangers — even 
 death itself were preferable with him, than ease and 
 happiness with any other. And it shall be strange indeed 
 if I do not. This night my father shall move into his 
 cottage : I will prepare at once." 
 
 The report of Philip and Mynheer Poots was taken 
 down by the authorities, the bodies examined, and one or 
 two of them recognised as well-known marauders. They 
 were then removed by the order of the burgomaster. The 
 authorities broke up their council, and Philip and Mynheer 
 Poots were permitted to return to Amine. It will not be 
 necessary to repeat the 'conversation which ensued : it will 
 be sufficient to state that Poots yielded to the arguments 
 employed by Amine and Philip, particularly the one of 
 paying no rent. A conveyance for the furniture and 
 
The Phantom Ship ^^ 
 
 medicines was procured, and in the afternoon most of the 
 effects were taken away. It was not, however, till dusk 
 that the strong box of the doctor was put into the cart, 
 and Philip went with it as a protector. Amine also walked 
 by the side of the vehicle, with her father. As may be 
 supposed, it was late that night before they had made 
 their arrangements, and had retired to rest. 
 
 Chapter VI 
 
 **This, then, is the chamber which has so long been 
 closed," said Amine, on entering it the next morning, long 
 before Philip had awakened from the sound sleep produced 
 by the watching of the night before. " Yes, indeed, it has 
 the air of having long been closed." Amine looked around 
 her, and then examined the furniture. Her eyes were 
 attracted to the bird-cages ; she looked into them : — " Poor 
 little things ! " continued she, " and here it was his father 
 appeared unto his mother. Well, it may be so, — Philip 
 saith that he hath proofs ; and why should he not appear ? 
 Were Philip dead, I should rejoice to see his spirit, — at 
 least it would be something. What am I saying — un- 
 faithful lips, thus to betray my secret ? — The table thrown 
 over ; — that looks like the work of fear ; a workbox, with 
 all its implements scattered, — only a woman's fear : a 
 mouse might have caused all this ; and yet there is some- 
 thing solemn in the simple fact that, for so many years, not 
 a living being has crossed these boards. Even that a table 
 thus overthrown could thus remain for years, seems 
 scarcely natural, and therefore has its power on the mind. 
 I wonder not that Philip feels there is so heavy a secret 
 belonging to this room — but it must not remain in this 
 condition — it must be occupied at once." 
 
 Amine, who had long been accustomed to attend upon 
 her father, and perform the household duties, now 
 commenced her intended labours. 
 
^6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Every part of the room, and every piece of furniture in 
 it, were cleaned ; even the cobwebs and dust were cleared 
 away, and the sofa and table brought from the corner to 
 the centre of the room ; the melancholy little prisons were 
 removed ; and when Amine's work of neatness was 
 complete, and the sun shone brightly into the opened 
 window, the chamber wore the appearance of cheerfulness. 
 
 Amine had the intuitive good sense to feel that strong 
 impressions wear away when the objects connected with 
 them are removed. She resolved then to make Philip 
 more at ease ; for, with all the fire and warmth of blood 
 inherent in her race, she had taken his image to her heart, 
 and was determined to win him. Again and again did she 
 resume her labour, until the pictures about the room, and 
 every other article, looked fresh and clean. 
 
 Not only the bird-cages, but the workbox, and all the 
 implements, were removed j and the piece of embroidery, 
 the taking up of which had made Philip recoil, as if he had 
 touched an adder, was put away with the rest. Philip had 
 left the keys on the floor. Amine opened the buffets, 
 cleaned the glazed doors, and was busy rubbing up the 
 silver flagons when her father came into the room. 
 
 ** Mercy on me ! " exclaimed Mynheer Poots ; " and is all 
 that silver ? — then it must be true, and he has thousands 
 of guilders ; but where are they ? " 
 
 " Never do you mind, father ; yours are now safe, and 
 for that you have to thank Philip Vanderdecken." 
 
 " Yes, very true; but as he is to live here — does he eat 
 much — what will he pay me ? He ought to pay well, as he 
 has so much money." 
 
 Amine's lips were curled with a contemptuous smile, 
 but she made no reply. 
 
 " I wonder where he keeps his money ; and he is going 
 to sea as soon as he can get a ship ? Who will have 
 charge of his money when he goes ? " 
 
 ** I shall take charge of it, father," replied Amine. 
 
 *< Ah — yes — well — we will take charge of it j the ship 
 may be lost." 
 
The Phantom Ship 57 
 
 <* No, ive will not take charge of it, father ; you will 
 have nothing to do with it. Look after your own.*' 
 
 Amine placed the silver in the buffets, locked the 
 doors, and took the keys with her when she went out 
 to prepare breakfast, leaving the old man gazing through 
 the glazed doors at the precious metal within. His eyes 
 were riveted upon it, and he could not remove them. 
 Every minute he muttered, ** Yes, all silver." 
 
 Philip came downstairs ; and as he passed by the room, 
 intending to go into the kitchen, he perceived Mynheer 
 Poots at the buffet, and he walked into the room. Kfe 
 was surprised as well as pleased with the alteration. He 
 felt why and by whom it was done, and he was grateful. 
 Amine came in with the breakfast, and their eyes spok€ 
 more than their lips could have done 5 and Philip sat 
 down to his meal with less of sorrow and gloom upon 
 his brow. 
 
 "Mynheer Poots," said Philip, as soon as he had 
 finished, "I intend to leave you in possession of my 
 cottage, and I trust you will find yourself comfortable. 
 What little arrangements are necessary, I will confide 
 to your daughter previous to my departure." 
 
 **Then you leave us, Mr Philip, to go to sea? It 
 must be pleasant to go and see strange countries — much 
 better than staying at home. When do you go ? " 
 
 ** I shall leave this evening for Amsterdam," replied 
 Philip, " to make my arrangements about a ship, but I 
 shall return, I think, before I sail." 
 
 ** Ah ! you will return. Yes — you have your money 
 and your goods to see to ; you must count your money 
 — we will take good care of it. Where is your money, 
 Mr Vanderdecken ? " 
 
 ** That I will communicate to your daughter this fore- 
 noon, before I leave. In three weeks at the furthest you 
 may expect me back." 
 
 "Father," said Amine, "you promised to go and see 
 the child of the burgomaster 5 it is time you went." 
 
 " Yes, yes — by-and-bye — all in good time j but I must 
 
^S The Phantom Ship 
 
 wait the pleasure of Mr Philip first — ^he has much to tell 
 me before he goes." 
 
 Philip could not help smiling when he remembered 
 what had passed when he first summoned Mynheer Poots 
 to the cottage, but the remembrance ended in sorrow 
 and a clouded brow. 
 
 Amine, who knew what was passing in the minds of 
 both her father and Philip, now brought her father's hat, 
 and led him to the door of the cottage; and Mynheer 
 Poots, very much against his inclination, but never dis- 
 puting the will of his daughter, was obliged to depart. 
 
 " So soon, Philip ? " said Amine, returning to the 
 room. 
 
 ** Yes, Amine, immediately. But I trust to be back 
 once more before I sail ; if not, you must now have my 
 instructions. Give me the keys." 
 
 Philip opened the cupboard below the buffet, and the 
 doors of the iron safe. 
 
 " There, Amine, is my money ; we need not count it, 
 as your father would propose. You see that I was right 
 when I asserted that I had thousands of guilders. At 
 present they are of no use to me, as I have to learn my 
 profession. Should I return some day, they may help 
 me to own a ship. I know not what my destiny may be." 
 
 " And should you not return ? " replied Amine, gravely. 
 
 "Then they are yours — as well as all that is in this 
 cottage, and the cottage itself." 
 
 " You have relations, have you not ? " 
 
 "But one, who is rich; an uncle, who helped us but 
 little in our distress, and who has no children. I owe 
 him but little, and he wants nothing. There is but one 
 being in this world who has created an interest in this 
 heart. Amine, and it is you. I wish you to look upon 
 me as a brother — I shall always love you as a dear 
 sister." 
 
 Amine made no reply. Philip took some more money 
 out of the bag which had been opened, for the expenses 
 of his journey, and then locking up the safe and cupboard. 
 
The Phantom Ship 59 
 
 gave the keys to Amine. He was about to address her, 
 when there was a slight knock at the door, and in entered 
 Father Seysen, the priest. 
 
 " Save you, my son ; and you, my child, whom as yet I 
 have not seen. You are, I suppose, the daughter of 
 Mynheer Foots ? " 
 
 Amine bowed her head. 
 
 ** I perceive, Philip, that the room is now opened, and 
 I have heard of all that has passed. I would now talk with 
 thee, Philip, and must beg this maiden to leave us for 
 awhile alone." 
 
 Amine quitted the room, and the priest, sitting down on 
 the couch, beckoned Philip to his side. The conversation 
 which ensued was too long to repeat. The priest first 
 questioned Philip relative to his secret, but on that point 
 he could not obtain the information which he wished ; 
 Philip stated as much as he did to Amine, and no more. 
 He also declared his intention of going to sea, and that, 
 should he not return, he had bequeathed his property — 
 the extent of which he did not make known — to the 
 doctor and his daughter. The priest then made inquiries 
 relative to Mynheer Poots, asking Philip whether he knew 
 what his creed was, as he had never appeared at any 
 church, and report said that he was an infidel. To this 
 Philip, as usual, gave his frank answer, and intimated that 
 the daughter, at least, was anxious to be enlightened, 
 begging the priest to undertake a task to which he him- 
 self was not adequate. To this request Father Seysen, 
 who perceived the state of Philip's mind with regard to 
 Amine, readily consented. After a conversation of nearly 
 two hours, they were interrupted by the return of Mynheer 
 Poots, who darted out of the room the instant he perceived 
 Father Seysen. Philip called Amine, and having begged 
 her as a favour to receive the priest's visits, the good old 
 man blessed them both and departed. 
 
 " You did not give him any money, Mr Philip ? " 
 said Mynheer Poots, when Father Seysen had left the 
 room. 
 
6o The Phantom Ship 
 
 " I did notj" replied Philip j " I wish I had thought of 
 it." 
 
 "No, no — it is better not — for money is better than 
 what he can give you ; but he must not come here." 
 
 " Why not, father," replied Amine, ** if Mr Philip wishes 
 it ? It is his own house." 
 
 ** O yes, if Mr Philip wishes it ; but you know he is 
 going away." 
 
 " Well, and suppose he is — why should not the Father 
 come here ? He shall come here to see me." 
 
 " See you, my child ! — what can he want with you ? 
 Well, then, if he comes, I will not give him one stiver — 
 and then he'll soon go away." 
 
 Philip had no opportunity of further converse with 
 Amine 5 indeed he had nothing more to say. In an hour 
 he bade her farewell in presence of her father, who would 
 not leave them, hoping to obtain from Philip some communi- 
 cation about the money which he was to leave behind 
 him. 
 
 In two days Philip arrived at Amsterdam, and having 
 made the necessary inquiries, found that there was no 
 chance of vessels sailing for the East Indies for some 
 months. The Dutch East India Company had long been 
 formed, and all private trading was at an end. The 
 Company's vessels left only at what was supposed to be the 
 most favourable season for rounding the Cape of Storms, as 
 the Cape of Good Hope was designated by the early 
 adventurers. One of the ships which were to sail with the 
 next fleet was the Ter Schil/ifjg, a three-masted vessel, now 
 laid up and unrigged. 
 
 Philip found out the captain, and stated his wishes to 
 sail with him, to learn his profession as a seaman; the 
 captain was pleased with his appearance, and as Philip not 
 only agreed to receive no wages during the voyage, but to 
 pay a premium as an apprentice learning his duty, he was 
 promised a berth on board as the secoud mate, to mess in the 
 cabin ; and he was told that he should be informed when- 
 ever the vessel was to sail. Philip having now done all that 
 
The Phantom Ship 6i 
 
 he could in obedience to his vow, determined to return to the 
 cottage ; and once more he was in the company of Amine. 
 
 We must now pass over two months, during which 
 Mynheer Foots continued to labour at his vocation, and 
 was seldom within doors, and our two young friends 
 were left for hours together. Philip's love for Amine was 
 fully equal to hers for him. It was more than love — it was 
 a devotion on both sides, each day increasing. Who, in- 
 deed, could be more charming, more attractive in all ways 
 than the high-spirited, yet tender Amine ? Occasionally 
 the brow of Philip would be clouded when he reflected 
 upon the dark prospect before him ; but Amine's smile 
 would chase away the gloom, and, as he gazed on her, all 
 would be forgotten. Amine made no secret of her attach- 
 ment ; it was shown in every word, every look, and every 
 gesture. When Philip would take her hand, or encircle 
 her waist with his arm, or even when he pressed her coral 
 lips, there was no pretence of coyness on her part. She 
 was too noble, too confiding ; she felt that her happiness 
 was centred in his love, and she lived but in his presence. 
 Two months had thus passed away, when Father Seysen, 
 who often called, and had paid much attention to Amine's 
 instruction, one day came in as Amine was encircled in 
 Philip's arms. 
 
 " My children," said he, ** I have watched you for some 
 time : this is not well. Philip, if you intend marriage, as 
 I presume you do, still it is dangerous. I must join your 
 hands." 
 
 Philip started up. 
 
 " Surely I am not deceived in thee, my son," continued 
 the priest, in a severe tone. 
 
 " No, no, good Father ; but I pray you leave me now : 
 to-morrow you may come, and all will be decided. But I 
 must talk with Amine." 
 
 The priest quitted the room, and Amine and Philip were 
 again alone. The colour in Amine's cheek varied and her 
 heart beat, for she felt how much her happiness was at 
 stake. 
 
62 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " The priest is right, Amine," said Philip, sitting down 
 by her. "This cannot last; — would that I could ever 
 stay with you : how hard a fate is mine ! You know I 
 love the very ground you tread upon, yet I dare not ask 
 thee to wed to misery." 
 
 " To wed with thee would not be wedding misery, 
 Philip," replied Amine, with downcast eyes. 
 
 ** 'Twere not kindness on my part, Amine. I should 
 indeed be selfish." 
 
 ** I will speak plainly, Philip," replied Amine. ** You 
 say you love me, — I know not how men love, — but this 
 I know, how I can love. I feel that to leave me now 
 were indeed unkind and selfish on your part ; for, Philip, 
 I — I should die. You say that you must go away, — that 
 fate demands it, — and your fatal secret. Be it so j— but 
 cannot I go with you ? " 
 
 *' Go with me. Amine — unto death ? " 
 
 ** Yes, death ; for what is death but a release ? I fear 
 not death, Philip ; I fear but losing thee. Nay, more ; is 
 not your life in the hands of Him who made all ? then why 
 so sure to die ? You have hinted to me that you are 
 chosen — selected for a task ; — if chosen, there is less 
 chance of death ; for until the end be fulfilled, if chosen, 
 you must live. I would I knew your secret, Philip : a 
 woman's wit might serve you well : and if it did not serve 
 you, is there no comfort, no pleasure, in sharing sorrow as 
 well as joy with one you say you dote upon ? " 
 
 ** Amine, dearest Amine ; it is my love, my ardent love 
 alone, which makes me pause : for, O Amine, what plea- 
 sure should I feel if we were this hour united ! I hardly 
 know what to say, or what to do. I could not withhold 
 my secret from you if you were my wife, nor will I wed 
 you till you know it. "Well, Amine, I will cast my all 
 upon the die. You shall know this secret, learn what a 
 doomed wretch I am, though from no fault of mine, and 
 then you yourself shall decide. But remember, my oath 
 is registered in heaven, and I must not be dissuaded from 
 it J keep that in mind, and hear my tale, — then if you 
 
The Phantom Ship 6^ 
 
 <:hoose to wed with one whose prospects are so bitter, be 
 it so, — a short-lived happiness will then be mine, but for 
 you, Amine " 
 
 " At once the secret, Philip," cried Amine, impatiently. 
 
 Philip then entered into a detail of what our readers are 
 acquainted with. Amine listened in silence ; not a change 
 of feature was to be observed in her countenance during 
 the narrative. Philip wound up with stating the oath 
 which he had taken. ** I have done," said Philip, mourn- 
 fully. 
 
 " 'Tis a strange story, Philip," replied Amine : " and 
 now hear me ; — but give me first that relic, — I wish to 
 look upon it. And can there be such virtue — I had nigh 
 said, such mischief — in this little thing .? Strange ; for- 
 give me, Philip,— but I've still my doubts upon this tale of 
 JSb/is. You know I am not yet strong in the new belief 
 which you and the good priest have lately taught me. 
 I do not say that it cannot be true : but still, one so un- 
 settled as I am may be allowed to waver. But, Philip, I'll 
 assume that all is true. Then, if it be true, without the 
 oath you would be doing but your duty ; and think not so 
 meanly of Amine as to suppose she would restrain you 
 from what is right. No, Philip, seek your father, and, if 
 you can, and he requires your aid, then save him. But, 
 Philip, do you imagine that a task like this, so high, is to 
 be accomplished at one trial ? O ! no ; — if you have been 
 so chosen to fulfil it, you will be preserved through diffi- 
 culty and danger until you have worked out your end. 
 You will be preserved, and you will again and again 
 return ; — be comforted — consoled — be cherished — and be 
 loved by Amine as your wife. And when it pleases Him 
 to call you from this world, your memory, if she survive 
 you, Philip, will equally be cherished in her bosom. 
 Philip, you have given me to decide 5 — dearest Philip, I 
 am thine." 
 
 Amine extended her arms, and Philip pressed her to his 
 bosom. That evening Philip demanded his daughter of 
 the father, and Mynheer Poots, as soon as Philip opened 
 
64 The Phantom Ship 
 
 the iron safe and displayed the guilders, gave his immediate 
 consent. 
 
 Father Seysen called the next day and received his 
 answer ; and three days afterwards, the bells of the little 
 church of Terneuse were ringing a merry peal for the 
 union of Amine Foots and Philip Vanderdecken. 
 
 Chapter VII 
 
 It was not until late in the autumn that Philip was roused 
 from his dream of love (for what, alas ! is every enjoyment 
 of this life but a dream ?) by a summons from the captain 
 of the vessel with whom he had engaged to sail. Strange 
 as it may appear, from the first day which put him in 
 possession of his Amine, Philip had no longer brooded 
 over his future destiny : occasionally it was recalled to hia 
 memory, but immediately rejected, and, for the time, 
 forgotten. Sufficient he thought it to fulfil his engage- 
 ment when the time should come ; and although the hours 
 flew away, and day succeeded day, week week, and month 
 month, with the rapidity accompanying a life of quiet and 
 unvarying bliss, Philip forgot his vow in the arms of 
 Amine, who was careful not to revert to a topic which 
 would cloud the brow of her adored husband. Once, 
 indeed, or twice, had old Poots raised the question of 
 Philip's departure, but the indignant frown and the 
 imperious command of Amine (who knew too well the 
 sordid motives which actuated her father, and who, at 
 such times, looked upon him with abhorrence) made him 
 silent, and the old man would spend his leisure hours in 
 walking up and down the parlour with his eyes riveted 
 upon the buffets, where the silver tankards now beamed in 
 all their pristine brightness. 
 
 One morning, in the month of October, there was a 
 tapping with the knuckles at the cottage door. As this 
 precaution implied a stranger. Amine obeyed the summons. 
 
The Phantom Ship 6^ 
 
 "I would speak with Master Philip Vanderdecken," 
 said the stranger, in a half- whispering sort of voice. 
 
 The party who thus addressed Amine was a little 
 meagre personage, dressed in the garb of the Dutch 
 seamen of the time, with a cap made of badger-skin 
 hanging over his brow. His features were sharp and 
 diminutive, his face of a deadly white, his lips pale, and 
 his hair of a mixture between red and white. He had 
 very little show of beard — indeed, it was almost difficult 
 to say what his age might be. He might have been a 
 sickly youth early sinking into decrepitude, or an old man, 
 hale in constitution, yet carrying no flesh. But the most 
 important feature, and that which immediately riveted the 
 attention of Amine, was the eye of this peculiar personage 
 —for he had but one j the right eye-lid was closed, and 
 the ball within had evidently wasted away ; but his left 
 eye was, for the size of his face and head, of unusual 
 dimensions, very protuberant, clear and watery, and most 
 unpleasant to look upon, being relieved by no fringe of 
 eyelash either above or below it. So remarkable was the 
 feature, that when you looked at the man, you saw his eye 
 and looked at nothing else. It was not a man with one 
 eye, but one eye with a man attached to it : the body was 
 but the tower of the lighthouse, of no further value, and 
 commanding no further attention, than does the structure 
 which holds up the beacon to the venturous mariner; and 
 yet, upon examination, you would have perceived that the 
 man, although small, was neatly made ; that his hands were 
 very different in texture and colour from those of common 
 seamen ; that his features in general, although sharp, were 
 regular ; and that there was an air of superiority even in 
 the obsequious manner of the little personage, and an 
 indescribable something about his whole appearance which 
 almost impressed you with awe. Amine's dark eyes were 
 for a moment fixed upon the visitor, and she felt a chill at 
 her heart for which she could not account, as she requested 
 that he would walk in. 
 
 Philip was greatly surprised at the appearance of the 
 p.s. E 
 
66 The Phantom Ship 
 
 stranger, who, as soon as he entered the room, without 
 saying a word, sat down on the sofa by Philip in the place 
 which Amine had just left. To Philip there was some- 
 thing ominous in this person taking Amine's seat ; all that 
 had passed rushed into his recollection, and he felt that 
 there was a summons from his short existence of enjoy- 
 ment and repose to a life of future activity, danger, and 
 suffering. What peculiarly struck Philip was, that when 
 the little man sat beside him, a sensation of sudden cold 
 ran through his whole frame. The colour fled from 
 Philip's cheek, but he spoke not. For a minute or two 
 there was a silence. The one-eyed visitor looked round 
 him, and turning from the buffets he fixed his eyes on the 
 form of Amine, who stood before him ; at last the silence 
 was broken by a sort of giggle on the part of the stranger, 
 which ended in — 
 
 ** Philip Vanderdecken — he ! he ! — ^Philip Vanderdecken, 
 you don't know me ? " 
 
 ** I do not," replied Philip, in a half-angry tone. 
 
 The vdce of the little man was most peculiar — it was a 
 sort of subdued scream, the notes of which sounded in your 
 ear long after he had ceased to speak. 
 
 " I am Schriften, one of the pilots of the Ter Schilling,^^ 
 continued the man 5 " and I'm come — ^he ! he ! " — and he 
 looked hard at Amine — " to take you away from love " — and 
 looking at the buffets — " he ! he ! from comfort, and from 
 this also," cried he, stamping his foot on the floor as he 
 rose from the sofa — " from terra firma — he ! he ! — to a 
 watery grave perhaps. Pleasant ! " continued Schriften, 
 with a giggle j and with a countenance full of meaning he 
 fixed his one eye on Philip's face. 
 
 Philip's first impulse was to put his new visitor out of 
 the door ; but Amine, who read his thoughts, folded her 
 arms as she stood before the Httle man, and eyed him with 
 contempt, as she observed : — 
 
 " We all must meet our fate, good fellow ; and, 
 whether by land or sea, death will have his due. If 
 death stare him in the face, the cheek of Philip 
 
The Phantom Ship 6^ 
 
 Vanderdecken will never turn as white as yours is 
 now." 
 
 " Indeed ! " replied Schriften, evidently annoyed at this 
 cool determination on the part of one so young and 
 beautiful ; and then fixing his eye upon the silver shrine of 
 the Virgin on the mantel-piece — " You are a Catholic, I 
 perceive — he ! " 
 
 "I am a Catholic," replied Philip ; " but does that 
 concern you ? When does the vessel sail ? " 
 
 " In a week — he ! he ! — only a week for preparation — 
 only seven days to leave all — short notice I " 
 
 "More than sufficient," replied Philip, rising up from 
 the sofa. " You may tell your captain that I shall not fail. 
 Come, Amine, we must lose no time." 
 
 **No, indeed," replied Amine, **and our first duty is 
 hospitality : Mynheer, may we offer you refreshment after 
 your walk ? " 
 
 " This day week," said Schriften, addressing Philip, and 
 without making a reply to Amine. Philip nodded his head, 
 the little man turned on his heel and left the room, and in 
 a short time was out of sight. 
 
 Amine sank down on the sofa. The breaking-up of her 
 short hour of happiness had been too sudden, too abrupt, 
 and too cruelly brought about for a fondly doting, although 
 heroic, woman. There was an evident malignity in the 
 words and manner of the one-eyed messenger, an appear- 
 ance as if he knew more than others, which awed and 
 confused both Philip and herself. Amine wept not, but 
 she covered her face with her hands as Philip, with no 
 steady pace, walked up and down the small room. Again, 
 with all the vividness of colouring, did the scenes half 
 forgotten recur to his memory. Again did he penetrate 
 the fatal chamber — again was it obscure. The embroidery 
 lay at his feet, and once more he started as when the letter 
 appeared upon the floor. 
 
 They had both awakened from a dream of present bliss, 
 and shuddered at the awful future which presented itself. 
 A few minutes were sufficient for Philip to resume his 
 
6S The Phantom Ship 
 
 natural self-possession. He sat down by the side of his 
 Amine, and clasped her in his arms. They remained silent. 
 They knew too well each other's thoughts ; and, excruciat- 
 ing as was the effort, they were both summoning up their 
 courage to bear, and steeling their hearts against the con- 
 viction that, in this world, they must now expect to be for 
 a time, perhaps for ever, separated. 
 
 Amine was the first to speak : removing her arms, which 
 had been wound round her husband, she first put his hand 
 to her heart, as if to compress its painful throbbings, and 
 then observed — 
 
 ** Surely that was no earthly messenger, Philip ! Did 
 you not feel chilled to death when he sat by you ? I did, 
 as he came in." 
 
 Philip, who had the same thought as Amine, but did not 
 wish to alarm her, answered confusedly — 
 
 " Nay, Amine, you fancy — that is, the suddenness of his 
 appearance and his strange conduct have made you imagine 
 this ; but I saw in him but a man who, from his peculiar 
 deformity, has become an envious outcast of society — 
 debarred from domestic happiness, from the smiles of the 
 other sex ; for what woman could smile upon such a 
 creature ? His bile raised at so much beauty in the arms 
 of another, he enjoyed a malignant pleasure in giving a 
 message which he felt would break upon those pleasures 
 from which he is cut off. Be assured, my love, that it was 
 nothing more." 
 
 " And even if my conjecture were correct, what does it 
 matter ? " replied Amine. " There can be nothing more — 
 nothing which can render your position more awful and 
 more desperate. As your wife, Philip, I feel less courage 
 than I did when I gave my willing hand. I knew not then 
 what would be the extent of my loss ; but fear not, much 
 as I feel here," continued Amine, putting her hand to her 
 heart — '*I am prepared, and proud that he who is selected 
 for such a task is my husband." Amine paused. ** You 
 cannot surely have been mistaken, Philip ? " 
 
 " No ! Amine, I have not been mistaken, either in the 
 
The Phantom Ship 69 
 
 summons or in my own courage, or in my selection of a 
 wife," replied Philip, mournfully, as he embrace! her. 
 ^* It is the will of Heaven." 
 
 **Then may its will be done," replied Amine, rising 
 from her seat. ** The first pang is over. I feel better 
 now, Philip. Your Amine knows her duty." 
 
 Philip made no reply; when, after a few moments, 
 Amine continued : 
 
 ** But one short week, Philip -" 
 
 ** I would it had been but one day ; " replied he ; "it 
 would have been long enough. He has come too soon — 
 the one-eyed monster." 
 
 ** Nay, not so, Philip. I thank him for the week — 'tis 
 but a short time to wean myself from happiness. I grant 
 you, that were I to tease, to vex, to unman you with my 
 tears, my prayers, or my upbraidings (as some wives 
 would do, Philip), one day would be more than sufficient 
 for such a scene of weakness on my part, and misery on 
 yours But, no, Philip, your Amine knows her duty better. 
 You must go like some knight of old to perilous encounter, 
 perhaps to death ; but Amine will arm you, and show her 
 love by closing carefully each rivet to protect you in your 
 peril, and will see you depart full of hope and confidence, 
 anticipating your return. A week is not too long, Philip, 
 when employed as I trust I shall employ it — a week to 
 interchange our sentiments, to hear your voice, to listen to 
 your words (each of which will be engraven on my heart's 
 memory), to ponder on them, and feed my love with them 
 in your absence and in my solitude. No ! no ! Philip ; I 
 thank God that there is yet a week." 
 
 " And so do I, then, Amine ; and, after all, we knew 
 that this must come." 
 
 ** Yes! but my love was so potent, that it banished 
 memory." 
 
 *• And yet during our separation your love must feed on 
 memory. Amine." 
 
 Amine sighed. Here their conversation was interrupted 
 by the entrance of Mynheer Poots, who, struck with the 
 
JO The Phantom Ship 
 
 alteration in Amine's radiant features, exclaimed, **Holy 
 Prophet ! what is the matter now ? " 
 
 ** Nothing more than what we all knew before," replied 
 Philip ; " I am about to leave you — the ship will sail in a 
 week." 
 
 " Oh ! you will sail in a week ? " 
 
 There was a curious expression in the face of the old 
 man as he endeavoured to suppress, before Amine and her 
 husband, the joy which he felt at Philip's departure. 
 Gradually he subdued his features into gravity, and said — 
 
 ** That is very bad news, indeed." 
 
 No answer was made by Amine or Philip, who quitted 
 the room together. 
 
 We must pass over this week, which was occupied in 
 preparations for Philip's departure. We must pass over 
 the heroism of Amine, who controlled her feelings, racked 
 as she was with intense agony at the idea of separating from 
 her adored husband. We cannot dwell upon the conflict- 
 ing emotions in the breast of Philip, who left competence, 
 happiness, and love, to encounter danger, privation, and 
 death. Now, at one time, he would almost resolve to 
 remain, and then at others, as he took the relic from his 
 bosom and remembered his vow registered upon it, he was 
 nearly as anxious to depart. Amine, too, as she fell asleep 
 in her husband's arms, would count the few hours left 
 them ; or she would shudder, as she lay awake and the 
 wind howled, at the prospect of what Philip would have ta 
 encounter. It was a long week to both of them, and, 
 although they thought that time flew fast, it was almost a 
 relief when the morning came that was to separate them ; 
 for to their feelings, which, from regard to each other, had 
 been pent up and controlled, they could then give vent ; 
 their surcharged bosoms could be relieved ; certainty had 
 driven away suspense, and hope was still left to cheer them 
 and brighten up the dark horizon of the future. 
 
 ** Philip," said Amine, as they sat together with their 
 hands entwined, " I shall not feel so much when you are 
 gone. I do not forget that all this was told me before 
 
The Phantom Ship 71 
 
 we were wed, and that for my love I took the hazard. 
 My fond heart often tells me that you will return; but 
 it may deceive me — return you may, but not in life. In 
 this room I shall await you ; on this sofa, removed to its 
 former station, I shall sit ; and if you cannot appear to 
 me alive, O refuse me not, if it be possible, to appear to 
 me when dead. I shall fear no storm, no bursting open 
 of the window. O no ! I shall hail the presence even of 
 your spirit. Once more ; let me but see you — let me be 
 assured that you are dead — and then I shall know that I 
 have no more to live for in this world, and shall hasten 
 to join you in a world of bliss. Promise me, Philip." 
 
 ** I promise all you ask, provided Heaven will so permit ; 
 but. Amine," and Philip's lips trembled, "I cannot — 
 merciful God! I am indeed tried. Amine, I can stay 
 no longer." 
 
 Amine's dark eyes were fixed upon her husband — she 
 could not speak — her features were convulsed — nature 
 could no longer hold up against her excess of feeling- 
 she fell into his arms, and lay motionless. Philip, about 
 to impress a last kiss upon her pale lips, perceived that 
 she had fainted. 
 
 " She feels not now," said he, as he laid her upon the 
 sofa; "it is better that it should be so — too soon will 
 she awake to misery." 
 
 Summoning to the assistance of his daughter Mynheer 
 Poots, who was in the adjoining room, Philip caught up 
 his hat, imprinted one more fervent kiss upon her forehead, 
 burst from the house, and v/as out of sight long before 
 Amine had recovered from her swoon. 
 
 Chapter VIII 
 
 Before we follow Philip Vanderdecken in his venturous 
 career, it will be necessary to refresh the memory of our 
 readers by a succinct recapitulation of the circumstances 
 
72 The Phantom Ship 
 
 that had directed the enterprise of the Dutch towards 
 the country of the East, which was now proving to them 
 a source of weahh which they considered as inexhaustible. 
 
 Let us begin at the beginning. Charles the Fifth, after 
 having possessed the major part of Europe, retired from 
 the world, for reasons best known to himself, and divided 
 his kingdoms between Ferdinand and Philip. To Ferdinand 
 he gave Austria and its dependencies ; to Philip Spain ; 
 but to make the division more equal and palatable to the 
 latter, he threw the Low Countries, with the few millions 
 vegetating upon them, into the bargain. Having thus 
 disposed of his fellow-mortals much to his own satisfaction, 
 he went into a convent, reserving for himself a small 
 income, twelve men, and a pony. Whether he afterwards 
 repented his hobby, or mounted his pony, is not recorded j 
 but this is certain — that in two years he died. 
 
 Philip thought (as many have thought before and since) 
 that he had a right to do what he pleased with his own. 
 He therefore took away from the Hollanders most of their 
 liberties : to make amends, however, he gave them the 
 Inquisition ; but the Dutch grumbled, and Philip, to stop 
 their grumbling, burnt a few of them. Upon which, the 
 Dutch, who are aquatic in their propensities, protested 
 against a religion which was much too warm for their 
 constitutions. In short, heresy made great progress j and 
 the Duke of Alva was despatched with a large army, to 
 prove to the Hollanders that the Inquisition was the very 
 best of all possible arrangements, and that it was infinitely 
 better that a man should be burnt for half-an-hour in this 
 world than for eternity in the next 
 
 This slight difference of opinion was the occasion of a 
 war, which lasted about eight years, and which, after 
 having saved some hundreds of thousands the trouble of 
 dying in their beds, at length ended in the Seven United 
 Provinces being declared independent. Now we must 
 go back again. 
 
 For a century after Vasco de Gama had discovered the 
 passage round the Cape of Good Hope, the Portuguese 
 
The Phaatom Ship 73 
 
 were not interfered with by other nations. At last the 
 adventurous spirit of the English nation was roused. 
 The passage to India by the Cape had been claimed by 
 the Portuguese as their sole right, and they defended it 
 by force. For a long time no private company ventured 
 to oppose them, and the trade was not of that apparent 
 value to induce any government to embark in a war upon 
 the question. The English adventurers, therefore, turned 
 their attention to the discovery of a north-west passage 
 to India, with which the Portuguese could have no right 
 to interfere, and in vain attempts to discover that passage, 
 the best part of the fifteenth century was employed. At 
 last they abandoned their endeavours, and resolved no 
 longer to be deterred by the Portuguese pretensions. 
 
 After one or two unsuccessful expeditions, an armament 
 was fitted out and put under the orders of Drake. This 
 courageous and successful navigator accomplished more 
 than the most sanguine had anticipated. He returned to 
 England in the month of May, 1580, after a voyage which 
 occupied him nearly three years ; bringing home with him 
 great riches, and having made most favourable arrange- 
 ments with the king of the Molucca Islands. 
 
 His success was followed up by Cavendish and others 
 in 1600. The English East India Company, in the 
 meanwhile, received their first charter from the govern- 
 ment, and had now been with various success carrying on 
 the trade for upwards of fifty years. 
 
 During the time that the Dutch were vassals to the 
 crown of Spain, it was their custom to repair to Lisbon 
 for the productions of the East, and afterwards to dis- 
 tribute them through Europe ; but when they quarrelled 
 with Philip, they were no longer admitted as retailers of 
 his Indian produce: the consequence was, that, while 
 asserting, and fighting for, their independence, they had 
 also fitted out expeditions to India. They were success- 
 ful; and in 1602 the various speculators were, by the 
 government, formed into a company, upon the same principles 
 and arrangement as those which had been chartered in 
 England. 
 
74 The Phantom Ship 
 
 At the time, therefore, to which we are reverting, the 
 English and Dutch had been trading in the Indian seas 
 for more than fifty years ; and the Portuguese had lost 
 nearly all their power, from the alliances and friendships 
 which their rivals had formed with the potentates of the 
 East, who had suffered from the Portuguese avarice and 
 cruelty. 
 
 Whatever may have been the sum of obligation which 
 the Dutch owed to the English for the assistance they 
 received from them during their struggle for independ- 
 ence, it does not appear that their gratitude extended 
 beyond the Cape; for, on the other side of it, the 
 Portuguese, English, and Dutch fought and captured 
 each other's vessels without ceremony ; and there was 
 no law but that of main force. The mother countries 
 were occasionally called upon to interfere, but the in- 
 terference up to the above time had produced nothing 
 more than a paper war ; it being very evident that all 
 parties were in the wrong. 
 
 In 1650, Cromwell usurped the throne of England, 
 and the year afterwards, having, among other points, 
 vainly demanded of the Dutch satisfaction for the murder 
 of his regicide ambassador, which took place in this year, 
 and some compensation for the cruelties exercised on the 
 English at Amboyne some thirty years before he declared 
 war with Holland. To prove that he was in earnest, he 
 seized more than two hundred Dutch vessels, and the 
 Dutch then (very unwillingly) prepared for war. Blake 
 and Van Tromp met, and the naval combats were most 
 obstinate. In the "History of England" the victory is 
 almost invariably given to the English, but in that of 
 Holland to the Dutch. By all accounts, these engage- 
 ments were so obstinate, that in each case they were 
 both well beaten. However, in 1 654, peace was signed ; 
 the Dutchman promising " to take his hat off" whenever 
 he should meet an Englishman on the high seas — a mere 
 act of politeness which Mynheer did not object to, as it 
 cost nothing. And now, having detailed the state of things 
 
The Phantom Ship 75 
 
 up to the time of Philip's embarkation, we shall proceed 
 with our story. 
 
 As soon as Philip was clear of his own threshold, he 
 hastened away as though he were attempting to escape 
 from his own painful thoughts. In two days he arrived 
 at Amsterdam, where his first object was to procure a 
 small, but strong, steel chain to replace the ribbon by 
 which the relic had hitherto been secured round his neck. 
 Having done this, he hastened to embark with his effects 
 on board of the Ter Schilling, Philip had not forgotten 
 to bring with him the money which he had agreed to pay 
 the captain, in consideration of being received on board 
 as an apprentice rather than a sailor. He had also 
 furnished himself with a further sum for his own exi- 
 gencies. It was late in the evening when he arrived on 
 board of the Ter Schillings which lay at single anchor, 
 surrounded by the other vessels composing the Indian 
 fleet. The captain, whose name was Kloots, received 
 him with kindness, showed him his berth, and then went 
 below^ in the hold to decide a question relative to the 
 cargo, leaving Philip on deck to his own reflections. 
 
 And this, then, thought Philip, as he leaned against the 
 taflrail and looked forward — this, then, is the vessel in 
 which my first attempt is to be made. First and — perhaps, 
 last. How little do those with whom I am about to sail 
 imagine the purport of my embarkation ? How diflerent 
 are my views from those of others ? Do /seek a fortune ? 
 No ! Is it to satisfy curiosity and a truant spirit ? No ! I 
 seek communion with the dead. Can I meet the dead 
 without danger to myself and those who sail with me ? I 
 should think not, for I cannot join it but in death. Did 
 they surmise my wishes and intentions, would they permit 
 me to remain one hour on board ? Superstitious as seamen 
 are said to be, they might find a good excuse, if they knew 
 my mission, not only for their superstition, but for ridding 
 themselves of one on such an awful errand. Awful 
 indeed ! and how to be accomplished ? Heaven alone, 
 with perseverance on my part, can solve the mystery. 
 
76 The Phantom Ship 
 
 And Philip's thoughts reverted to his Amine. He folded 
 his arms and, entranced in meditation, with his eyes raised 
 to the firmament, he appeared to watch the flying scud. 
 
 "Had you not better go below?" said a mild voice, 
 which made Philip start from his reverie. 
 
 It was that of the first mate, whose name was Hillebrant, 
 a short, well-set man of about thirty years of age. His 
 hair was flaxen, and fell in long flakes upon his shoulders, 
 his complexion fair, and his eyes of a soft blue ; although 
 there was little of the sailor in his appearance, few knew 
 or did their duty better. 
 
 " I thank you," replied Philip ; "I had, indeed, 
 forgotten myself, and where I was : my thoughts were 
 far away. Good-night, and many thanks." 
 
 The Ter Schilling, like most of the vessels of that period, 
 was very different in her build and fitting from those of 
 the present day. She was ship-rigged, and of about four 
 hundred tons burden. Her bottom was nearly flat, and 
 her sides fell in (as she rose above the water), so that her 
 upper decks were not half the width of the hold. 
 
 All the vessels employed by the Company being armed, 
 she had her main deck clear of goods, and carried six 
 nine-pounders on each broadside; her ports were small 
 and oval. There was a great spring in all her decks, — 
 that is to say, she ran with a curve forward and aft. On 
 her forecastle another small deck ran from the knight- 
 heads, which was called the top-gallant forecastle. Her 
 quarter-deck was broken with a poop, which rose high 
 out of the water. The bowsprit staved very much, and 
 was to appearance almost as a fourth mast : the more so, 
 as she carried a square spritsail and sprit-topsail. On her 
 quarter-deck and poop-bulwarks were fixed in sockets 
 implements of warfare now long in disuse, but what were 
 then known by the names of cohorns and patteraroes ; 
 they turned round on a swivel, and were pointed by an 
 iron handle fixed to the breech. The sail abaft the mizen- 
 mast (corresponding to the driver or spanker of the 
 present day) was fixed upon a lateen-yard. It is hardly 
 
The Phantom Ship 77 
 
 necessary to add (after this description) that the dangers 
 of a long voyage were not a little increased by the 
 peculiar structure of the vessels, which (although with 
 such top hamper, and so much wood above water, they 
 could make good way before a favourable breeze) could 
 hold no wind, and had but little chance if caught upon 
 a lee-shore. 
 
 The crew of the Ter Schilling were composed of the 
 captain, two mates, two pilots, and forty-five men. The 
 supercargo had not yet come on board. The cabin (under 
 the poop) was appropriated to the supercargo ; but the 
 main-deck cabin to the captain and mates, who composed 
 the whole of the cabin mess. 
 
 When Philip awoke the next morning he found that the 
 topsails were hoisted, and the anchor short-stay apeak. 
 Some of the other vessels of the fleet were under weigh 
 and standing out. The weather was fine and the water 
 smooth, and the bustle and novelty of the scene were 
 cheering to his spirits. The captain, Mynheer Kloots, was 
 standing on the poop with a small telescope, made of 
 pasteboard, to his eye, anxiously looking towards the 
 town. Mynheer Kloots, as usual, had his pipe in his 
 mouth, and the smoke which he puffed from it for a time 
 obscured the lenses of his telescope. Philip went up the 
 poop ladder and saluted him. 
 
 Mynheer Kloots was a person of no moderate dimensions, 
 and the quantity of garments which he wore added no 
 little to his apparent bulk. The outer garments exposed 
 to view were, a rough fox-skin cap upon his head, from 
 under which appeared the edge of a red worsted nightcap ;. 
 a red plush waistcoat, with large metal buttons ; a jacket 
 of green cloth, over which he wore another of larger 
 dimensions of coarse blue cloth, which came down as low 
 as what would be called a spencer. Below he had black 
 plush breeches, light blue worsted stockings, shoes, and 
 broad silver buckles ; round his waist was girded, with a 
 broad belt, a canvas apron which descended in thick folds 
 nearly to his knee. In his belt was a large broad-bladed 
 
78 The Phantom Ship 
 
 knife in a sheath of shark's skin. Such was the attire of 
 Mynheer Kloots, captain of the Ter Schilling. 
 
 He was as tall as he was corpulent. His face was oval, 
 and his features small in proportion to the size of his 
 frame. His grizzly hair fluttered in the breeze, and his 
 nose (although quite straight) was, at the tip, iiery red 
 from frequent application to his bottle of schnapps, and the 
 heat of a small pipe which seldom left his lips, except for 
 him to give an order, or for it to be replenished. 
 
 ** Good morning, my son," said the captain, taking his 
 pipe out of his mouth for a moment. ** We are detained 
 by the supercargo, who appears not over-willing to come 
 on board ; the boat has been on shore this hour waiting 
 for him, and we shall be last of the fleet under weigh. I 
 wish the Company would let us sail without these gentle- 
 men, who are (in my opinion^ a great hindrance to business ; 
 but they think otherwise on shore." 
 
 " What is their duty on board ? " replied Philip. 
 
 " Their duty is to look after the cargo and the traffic, 
 and if they kept to that, it would not be so bad j but they 
 interfere with everything else and everybody, studying 
 little except their own comforts-, in fact, they play the 
 king on board, knowing that we dare not affront them, as 
 a word from them would prejudice the vessel when again 
 to be chartered. The Company insist upon their being 
 received with all honours. We salute them with five 
 guns on their arrival on board." 
 
 **Do you know anything of this one whom you expect ?" 
 
 " Nothing, but from report. A brother captain of mine 
 (with whom he has sailed) told me that he is most fearful 
 of the dangers of the sea, and much taken up with his own 
 importance." 
 
 "I wish he would come," replied Philip 5 **I am most 
 anxious that we should sail." 
 
 "You must be of a wandering disposition, my son: I 
 hear that you leave a comfortable home, and a pretty wife 
 to boot." 
 
 " I am most anxious to see the world," replied Philip j 
 
The Phantom Ship 79 
 
 ** and I must learn to sail a ship before I purchase one, and 
 try to make the fortune that I covet." (Alas ! how 
 different from my real wishes, thought Philip, as he made 
 this reply.) 
 
 ** Fortunes are made, and fortunes are swallowed up 
 too, by the ocean," replied the captain. " If I could turn 
 this good ship into a good house, with plenty of guilders 
 to keep the house warm, you would not find me standing 
 on this poop. I have doubled the Cape twice, which is 
 often enough for any man ; the third time may not be so 
 lucky." 
 
 ** Is it so dangerous, then ? " said Philip. 
 
 " As dangerous as tides and currents, rocks and sand- 
 banks, hard gales and heavy seas, can make it, — no more ! 
 Even when you anchor in the bay, on this side of the Cape, 
 you ride in fear and trembling, for you may be ^blown 
 away from your anchor to sea, or be driven on shore 
 among the savages, before the men can well put on their 
 clothing. But when once you're well on the other side of 
 the Cape, then the water dances to the beams of the sun 
 as if it were merry, and you may sail for weeks with a 
 cloudless sky and a flowing breeze, without starting tack 
 or sheet, or having to take your pipe out of your mouth." 
 
 ** What port shall we go into. Mynheer ? " 
 
 ** Of that I can say but little. Gambroon, in the Gulf 
 of Persia, will probably be the first rendezvous of the 
 whole fleet. Then we shall separate : some will sail direct 
 for Bantam, in the island of Java ; others will have orders 
 to trade down the Straits for camphor, gum, benzoin, and 
 wax •, they have also gold and the teeth of the elephant to 
 barter with us : there (should we be sent thither) you 
 must be careful with the natives. Mynheer Vanderdecken. 
 They are fierce and treacherous, and their curved knives 
 (or creeses, as they call them) are sharp and deadly 
 poisoned. I have had hard fighting in those Straits both 
 with Portuguese and English." 
 
 " But we are all at peace now." 
 
 "True, my sonj but when round the Cape, we must 
 
8o The Phantom Ship 
 
 aot trust to papers signed at home : and the English press 
 us hard, and tread upon our heels wherever we go. They 
 must be checked j and I suspect our fleet is so large and 
 well appointed in expectation of hostilities." 
 
 "How long do you expect your voyage may occupy 
 us?" 
 
 ** That's as may be : but I should say about two years j 
 — nay, if not detained by the factors, as I expect we shall 
 be, for some hostile service, it may be less." 
 
 Two years, thought Philip, two years from Amine ! 
 and he sighed deeply, for he felt that their separation 
 might be for ever. 
 
 ** Nay, my son, two years is not so long," said Mynheer 
 Kloots, who observed the passing cloud on Philip's brow. 
 ** I was once five years away, and was unfortunate, for I 
 brought home nothing, not even my ship. I was sent to 
 Chittagong, on the east side of the great Bay of Bengala, 
 and lay for three months in the river. The chiefs of the 
 country would detain me by force -, they would not barter 
 for my cargo, or permit me to seek another market. My 
 powder had been landed, and I could make no resistance. 
 The worms ate through the bottom of my vessel, and she 
 sank at her anchors. They knew it would take place, 
 and that then they would have my cargo at their own 
 price. Another vessel brought us home. Had I not 
 been so treacherously served, I should have had no need 
 to sail this time ; and now my gains are small, the 
 G)mpany forbidding all private trading. But here he 
 comes at last ; they have hoisted the ensign on the staff 
 in the boat; there — they have shoved off. Mynheer 
 Hillebrant, see the gunners ready with their linstocks to 
 salvo the supercargo." 
 
 *'What duty do you wish me to perform ?" observed 
 Philip. " In what can I be useful ? " 
 
 " At present you can be of little use, except in those 
 heavy gales in which every pair of hands is valuable. You 
 must look and learn for some time yet ; but you can make 
 a fair copy of the journal kept for the inspection of the 
 
The Phantom Ship 8i 
 
 Company, and may assist me in various ways, as soon as 
 the unpleasant nausea, feh by those who first embark, 
 has subsided. As a remedy, I should propose that you 
 gird a handkerchief tight round your body so as to 
 compress the stomach, and make frequent application of 
 my bottle of schnapps, which you will find always at 
 your service. But now to receive the factor of the 
 most puissant Company. Mynheer Hillebrant, let them 
 discharge the cannon." 
 
 The guns were fired, and soon after the smoke had 
 cleared away, the boat, with its long ensign trailing on 
 the water, was pulled alongside. Philip watched the 
 appearance of the supercargo, but he remained in the boat 
 until several of the boxes with the initials and arms of the 
 Company were first handed on the deck ; at last the super- 
 cargo appeared. 
 
 He was a small, spare, wizen-faced man, with a three- 
 cornered cocked hat, bound with broad gold lace, upon 
 his head, under which appeared a full-bottomed flowing 
 wig, the curls of which descended low upon his shoulders. 
 His coat was of crimson velvet, with broad flaps: his 
 waistcoat of white silk, worked in coloured flowers, and 
 descending half-way down to his knees. His breeches 
 were of black satin, and his legs were covered with white 
 silk stockings. Add to this, gold buckles at his knees 
 and in his shoes, lace ruffles to his wrists, and a silver- 
 mounted cane in his hand, and the reader has the entire 
 dress of Mynheer Jacob Janz Von Stroom, the super- 
 cargo of the Hon. Company, appointed to the good ship 
 Ter Schilling, 
 
 As he looked round him, surrounded at a respectful 
 distance by the captain, officers, and men of the ship, 
 with their caps in their hands, the reader might be reminded 
 of the picture of the ** Monkey who had seen the World" 
 surrounded by his tribe. There was cot, however, the 
 least inclination on the part of the seamen to laugh, even 
 at his flowing, full-bottomed wig : respect was at that 
 period paid to dress ; and although Mynheer Von Stroom 
 
 P.S. F 
 
 \£^ 
 
82 The Phantom Ship 
 
 could not be mistaken for a sailor, he was known to be 
 the supercargo of the Company, and a very great man. 
 He therefore received all the respect due to so important 
 a personage. 
 
 Mynheer Von Stroom did not, however, appear very 
 anxious to remain on deck. He requested to be shown 
 into his cabin, and followed the captain aft, picking his 
 way among the coils of ropes with which his path was 
 encumbered. The door was opened, and the supercargo 
 disappeared. The ship was then got under weigh, the 
 men had left the windlass, the sails had been trimmed, 
 and they were securing the anchor on board, when the 
 bell of the poop-cabin (appropriated to the supercargo) 
 was pulled with great violence. 
 
 ** What can that be ? " said Mynheer Kloots (who was 
 forward), taking the pipe out of his mouth. " Mynheer 
 Vanderdecken, will you see what is the matter ? '* 
 
 Philip went aft, as the pealing of the bell continued, and 
 evening the cabin door, discovered the supercargo perched 
 upon the table and pulling the bell-rope, which hung over 
 its centre, with every mark of fear in his countenance. 
 His wig was off, and his bare skull gave him an appearance 
 peculiarly ridiculous. 
 
 " What is the matter, sir ? " inquired Philip. 
 
 " Matter ! " spluttered Mynheer Von Stroom ; " call 
 the troops in with their firelocks. Quick, sir. Am I to be 
 murdered, torn to pieces, and devoured ? For mercy's 
 sake, sir, don't stare, but do something — look, it's coming 
 to the table ! O dear ! O dear ! " continued the super- 
 cargo, evidently terrified out of his wits. 
 
 Philip, whose eyes had been fixed on Mynheer Von 
 Stroom, turned them in the direction pointed out, and, 
 much to his astonishment perceived a small bear upon the 
 deck who was amusing himself with the supercargo's 
 flowing wig, which he held in his paws, tossing it about, 
 and now and then burying his muzzle in it. The 
 unexpected sight of the animal was at first a shock to 
 Philip, but a moment's consideration assured him that the 
 
The Phantom Ship S^ 
 
 animal must be harmless, or it never would have been 
 permitted to remain loose in the vessel. 
 
 Nevertheless, Philip had no wish to approach the animal, 
 whose disposition he was unacquainted with, when the 
 appearance of Mynheer Kloots put an end to his difficulty. 
 
 "What is the matter, Mynheer?" said the captain. 
 "O ! I see : it is Johannes," continued the captain, going 
 up to the bear, and saluting him with a kick, as he 
 recovered the supercargo's wig. ** Out of the cabin, 
 Johannes ! Out, sir ! " cried Mynheer Kloots, kicking the 
 breech of the bear till the animal had escaped through the 
 door. " Mynheer Von Stroom, I am very sorry — here is 
 your wig. Shut the door. Mynheer Vanderdecken, or the 
 beast may come back, for he is very fond of me." 
 
 As the door was shut between Mynheer Von Stroom 
 and the object of his terror, the little man slid off the table 
 to the high-backed chair near it, shook out the damaged 
 curls of his wig, and replaced it on his head -, pulled out 
 his ruffles, and, assuming an air of magisterial importance, 
 struck his cane on the deck, and then spoke. 
 
 ** Mynheer Kloots, what is the meaning of this disrespect 
 to the supercargo of the puissant Company ? " 
 
 " God in Heaven ! no disrespect. Mynheer ; — the animal 
 is a bear, as you see ; he is very tame, even with strangers. 
 He belongs to me. I have had him since he was three 
 months old. It was all a mistake. The mate. Mynheer 
 Hillebrant, put him in the cabin, that he might be out of 
 the way while the duty was carrying on, and he quite 
 forgot that he was here. I am very sorry. Mynheer Von 
 Stroom 5 but he will not come here again, unless you wish 
 to play with him." 
 
 "Play with him! I! supercargo to the Company, play 
 with a bear ! Mynheer Kloots, the animal must be thrown 
 overboard immediately." 
 
 ** Nay, nay ; I cannot throw overboard an animal that I 
 hold in much affection. Mynheer Von Stroom 5 but he 
 shall not trouble you." 
 
 ** Then, Captain Idoots, you will have to deal with the 
 
84 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Company, to whom I shall represent the affair. Your 
 charter will be cancelled, and your freight-money will be 
 forfeited." 
 
 Kloots was, like most Dutchmen, not a little obstinate, 
 and this imperative behaviour on the part of the supercargo 
 raised his bile. ** There is nothing in the charter that 
 prevents my having an animal on board," replied KJoots. 
 
 **By the regulations of the Company," replied Von 
 Stroom, falling back in his chair with an important air, and 
 crossing his thin legs, "you are required to receive on 
 board strange and curious animals, sent home by the 
 governors and factors to be presented to crowned heads, — 
 such as lions, tigers, elephants, and other productions of 
 the East; — but in no instance is it permitted to the 
 commanders of chartered ships to receive on board, on 
 their own account, animals of any description, which must 
 be considered under the offence of private trading." 
 
 " My bear is not for sale. Mynheer Von Stroom." 
 
 " It must immediately be sent out of the ship. Mynheer 
 Kloots •, I order you to send it away, — on your peril to 
 refuse." 
 
 " Then we will drop the anchor agdn. Mynheer Von 
 Stroom, and send on shore to head-quarters to decide the 
 point. If the Company insists that the brute be put on 
 shore, be it so ; but recollect. Mynheer Von Stroom, we 
 shall lose the protection of the fleet, and have to sail alone. 
 Shall I drop the anchor. Mynheer ? " 
 
 This observation softened down the pertinacity of the 
 supercargo; he had no wish to sail alone, and the fear 
 of this contingency was more powerful than the fear of 
 the bear. 
 
 "Mynheer IDoots, I will not be too severe; if the 
 animal is chained, so that it does not approach me, I will 
 consent to its remaining on board." 
 
 " I will keep it out of your way as much as I can ; 
 but as for chaining up the poor animal, it will howl all 
 day and night, and you will have no sleep, Mynheer Von 
 Stroom," replied Kloots. 
 
The Phantom Ship 85 
 
 The supercargo, who perceived that the captain was 
 positive, and that his threats were disregarded, did all 
 that a man could do who could not help himself. He 
 vowed vengeance in his own mind, and then, with an 
 air of condescension, observed : " Upon those conditions. 
 Mynheer ELloots, your animal may remain on board." 
 
 Mynheer Kloots and Philip then left the cabin ; the 
 former, who was in no very good humour, muttering as 
 he walked away — "If the Company send their monkeys 
 on board, I think I may well have my bear,^^ And, 
 pleased with his joke. Mynheer Kloots recovered his good 
 humour. 
 
 Chapter IX 
 
 We must allow the Indian fleet to pursue its way to the 
 Cape with every variety of wind and weather. Some 
 had parted company; but the rendezvous was Table 
 Bay, from which they were again to start together. 
 
 Philip Vanderdecken was soon able to render some 
 service on board. He studied his duty diligently, for 
 employment prevented him from dwelling too much upon 
 the cause of his embarkation, and he worked hard at the 
 duties of the ship, for the exercise procured for him 
 that sleep which otherwise would have been denied. 
 
 He was soon a favourite of the captain, and intimate 
 with Hillebrant, the first mate 5 the second mate, Struys, 
 was a morose young man, with whom he had little inter- 
 course. As for the supercargo. Mynheer Jacob Janz 
 Von Stroom, he seldom ventured out of his cabin. The 
 bear Johannes was not confined, and therefore Mynheer 
 Von Stroom confined himself; hardly a day passed that 
 he did not look over a letter which he had framed upon 
 the subject, all ready to forward to the Company, and 
 each time that he perused it he made some alteration, 
 which he considered would give additional force to his 
 
86 The Phantom Ship 
 
 complaint, and would prove still more injurious to the 
 interests of Captain KLloots. 
 
 In the meantime, in happy ignorance of all that was 
 passing in the poop-cabin. Mynheer Kloots smoked his 
 pipe, drank his schnapps, and played with Johannes. The 
 animal had also contracted a great affection for Philip, 
 and used to walk the watch with him. 
 
 There was another party in the ship whom we must 
 not lose sight of — the one-eyed pilot, Schriften, who 
 appeared to have imbibed a great animosity towards our 
 hero, as well as to his dumb favourite the bear. As 
 Philip held the rank of an officer, Schriften dared not 
 openly affront, though he took every opportunity of 
 annoying him, and was constantly inveighing against him 
 before the ship's company. To the bear he was more 
 openly inveterate, and seldom passed it without bestowing 
 upon it a severe kick, accompanied with a horrid curse. 
 Although no one on board appeared to be fond of this 
 man, everybody appeared to be afraid of him, and he had 
 obtained a control over the seamen which appeared un- 
 accountable. 
 
 Such was the state of affairs on board the good ship 
 Ter Schilling, when, in company with two others, she 
 lay becalmed about two days' sail to the Cape. The 
 weather was intensely hot, for it was the summer in 
 those southern latitudes, and Philip, who had been lying 
 down under the awning spread over the poop, was so 
 overcome with the heat that he had fallen asleep. He 
 awoke with a shivering sensation of cold over his whole 
 body, particularly at his chest, and half-opening his eyes, 
 he perceived the pilot, Schriften, leaning over him, and 
 holding between his finger and his thumb a portion of 
 the chain which had not been concealed, and to which 
 was attached the sacred relic. Philip closed them again, 
 to ascertain what were the man's intentions : he found 
 that he gradually dragged out the chain, and, when the 
 relic was clear, attempted to pass the whole over his 
 head, evidently to gain possession of it. Upon his attempt 
 Philip started up and seized him by the waist. 
 
The Phantom Ship 87 
 
 ** Indeed ! " cried Philip, with an indignant look, as 
 he released the chain from the pilot's hand. 
 
 But Schriften appeared not in the least confused at being 
 detected in his attempt : looking with his malicious one 
 eye at Philip, he mockingly observed : 
 
 " Does that chain hold her picture ? — he ! he I " 
 
 Vanderdecken rose, pushed him away, and folded his 
 arms. 
 
 " I advise you not to be quite so curious. Master Pilot, 
 or you may repent it." 
 
 " Or perhaps," continued the pilot, quite regardless of 
 Philip's wrath, ** it may be a child's caul, a sovereign 
 remedy against drowning." 
 
 " Go forward to your duty, sir," cried Philip. 
 
 ** Or, as you are a Catholic, the finger-nail of a saint ; 
 or, yes, I have it — a piece of the holy cross." 
 
 Philip started. 
 
 ** That's it ! that's it ! " cried Schriften, who now went 
 forward to where the seamen were standing at the gang- 
 way. " News for you, my lads ! " said he ; " we've a bit 
 of the holy cross aboard, and so we may defy the devil ! " 
 
 Philip, hardly knowing why, had followed Schriften as 
 he descended the poop-ladder, and was forward on the 
 quarter-deck, when the pilot made this remark to the 
 seamen. 
 
 ** Ay ! ay ! " replied an old seaman to the pilot ; " not 
 only the devil, but the Flying Dutchman to boot." 
 
 "The Flying Dutchman,^ thought Philip, "can that 
 
 refer to ? " and Philip walked a step or two forward, 
 
 so as to conceal himself behind the mainmast, hoping to 
 obtain some information, should they continue the con- 
 versation. In this he was not disappointed. 
 
 " They say that to meet with him is worse than meeting 
 with the devil," observed another of the crew. 
 
 " Who ever saw him ? " said another. 
 
 ** He has been seen, that's sartain, and just as sartain 
 that ill-luck follows the vessel that falls in with him." 
 
 " And where is he to be fallen in with ? " 
 
88 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " O ! they say that's not so sartain — but he cruises off 
 the Cape." 
 
 ** I should like to know the whole long and short of 
 the story," said a third. 
 
 " I can only tell what I've heard. It's a doomed vessel ; 
 they were pirates, and cut the captain's throat, I believe." 
 
 "No! no!" cried Schriften, "the captain is in her 
 now — and a villain he was. They say that, like somebody 
 else on board of us now, he left a very pretty wife, and 
 that he was very fond of her." 
 
 " How do they know that, pilot ? " 
 
 ** Because he always wants to send letters home when 
 he boards vessels that he falls in with. But, woe to the 
 vessel that takes charge of them I — she is sure to be lost, 
 with every soul on board I " 
 
 " I wonder where you heard all this," said one of the 
 men. " Did you ever see the vessel ? " 
 
 " Yes, I did I " screamed Schriften ; but, as if recovering 
 himself, his scream subsided into his usual giggle, and 
 he added, " but we need not fear her, boys ; we've a bit 
 of the true cross on board." Schriften then walked aft 
 as if to avoid being questioned, when he perceived Philip 
 by the mainmast. 
 
 " So, I'm not the only one curious ? — he ! he ! Pray 
 did you bring that on board, in case we should fall in 
 with the Flying Dutchman f " 
 
 ** I fear no Flying Dutchman^'* replied Philip, confused. 
 
 "Now I think of it, you are of the same name; at 
 least they say that his name was Vanderdecken — eh ? " 
 
 " There are many Vanderdeckens in the world besides 
 me," replied Philip, who had recovered his composure; 
 and having made this reply, he walked away to the poop 
 of the vessel. 
 
 "One would almost imagine this malignant one-eyed 
 wretch was aware of the cause of my embarkation," mused 
 Philip ; "but no ! that cannot be. Why do I feel such 
 a chill whenever he approaches me ? I wonder if others 
 do i or whether it is a mere fancy on the part of Amine 
 
The Phantom Ship 89 
 
 and myself. I dare ask no questions. — Strange, too, that 
 the man should feel such malice towards me. I never 
 injured him. What I have just overheard confirms all 5 
 but there needed no confirmation. Oh, Amine ! Amine ! 
 but for thee, and I would rejoice to solve this riddle at 
 the expense of life. God in mercy check the current 
 of my brain," muttered Philip, "or my reason cannot 
 hold its seat ! " 
 
 In three days the Ter Schilling and her consorts arrived 
 at Table Bay, where they found the remainder of the 
 fleet at anchor waiting for them. Just at that period 
 the Dutch had formed a settlement at the Cape of Good 
 Hope, where the Indian fleets used to water and obtain 
 cattle from the Hottentot tribes who lived on the coast, 
 and who for a brass button or a large nail would willingly 
 offer a fat bullock. A few days were occupied in com- 
 pleting the water of the squadron, and then the ships, 
 having received from the Admiral their instructions as to 
 the rendezvous in case of parting company, and made 
 every preparation for the bad weather which they anti- 
 cipated, again weighed their anchors, and proceeded on 
 their voyage. 
 
 For three days they beat against light and baffling winds, 
 making but little progress 5 on the third, the breeze 
 sprang up strong from the southward, until it increased 
 to a gale, and the fleet were blown down to the north- 
 ward of the bay. On the seventh day the Ter Schilling 
 found herself alone, but the weather had moderated. 
 Sail was again made upon the vessel, and her head put 
 to the eastward, that she might run in for the land. 
 
 "We are unfortunate in thus parting with all our 
 consorts," observed Mynheer Kloots to Philip, as they 
 were standing at the gangway ; " but it must be near 
 meridian, and the sun will enable me to discover our 
 latitude. It is difficult to say how far we may have been 
 swept by the gale and the currents to the northward. 
 Boy, bring up my cross-staff, and be mindful that you do 
 not strike it against anything as you come up." 
 
90 The Phantom Ship 
 
 The cross-stafF at that time was the simple instrument 
 used to discover the latitude, which it would give to a 
 nice observer to within five or ten miles. Quadrants 
 and sextants were the invention of a much later period. 
 Indeed, considering that they had so little knowledge of 
 navigation and the variation of the compass, and that their 
 easting and westing could only be computed by dead 
 reckoning, it is wonderful how our ancestors traversed the 
 ocean in the way they did, with comparatively so few 
 accidents. 
 
 **We are full three degrees to the northward of the 
 Cape," observed Mynheer Kloots, after he had computed 
 his latitude. "The currents must be running strong; 
 the wind is going down fast, and we shall have a change, 
 if I mistake not." 
 
 Towards the evening it fell calm, with a heavy swell 
 setting towards the shore j shoals of seals appeared on the 
 surface, following the vessel as she drove before the swell j 
 the fish darted and leaped in every direction, and the ocean 
 around them appeared to be full of life as the sun slowly 
 descended to the horizon. 
 
 " What is that noise we hear ? " observed Philip ; "it 
 sounds like distant thunder." 
 
 ** I hear it," replied Mynheer Kloots. " Aloft there ; 
 do you see the land ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied the man, after a pause in ascending the 
 topmast shrouds. " It is right ahead — low sand-hills, and 
 the sea breaking high." 
 
 " Then that must be the noise we hear. We sweep in 
 fast with this heavy ground-swell. I wish the breeze 
 would spring up." 
 
 The sun was dipping under the horizon, and the calm 
 still continued : the swell had driven the Ter Schilling so 
 rapidly on the shore that now they could see the breakers, 
 which fell over with the noise of thunder. 
 
 " Do you know the coast, pilot ? " observed the captain 
 to Schriften, who stood by. 
 
 " Know it well," replied Schriften ; " the sea breaks ia 
 
The Phantom Ship 91 
 
 twelve fathoms at least. In half an hour the good ship 
 will be beaten into toothpicks, without a breeze to help 
 us." And the little man giggled as if pleased at the 
 idea. 
 
 The anxiety of Mynheer Kloots was not to be concealed; 
 his pipe was every moment in and out of his mouth. The 
 crew remained in groups on the forecastle and gangway, 
 listening with dismay to the fearful roaring of the breakers. 
 The sun had sunk down below the horizon, and the gloom 
 of night was gradually adding to the alarm of the crew of 
 the Ter Schilling. 
 
 ** We must lower down the boats," said Mynheer Kloots 
 to the first mate, " and try to tow her off. We cannot do 
 much good, I'm afraid ; but at all events the boats will be 
 ready for the men to get into before she drives on shore. 
 Get the tow ropes out and lower down the boats, while I 
 go in to acquaint the supercargo." 
 
 Mynheer Von Stroom was sitting in all the dignity of 
 his office, and it being Sunday had put on his very best 
 wig. He was once more reading over the letter to the 
 Company, relative to the bear, when Mynheer Kloots made 
 his appearance, and informed him in a few words that they 
 were in a situation of peculiar danger, and that in all 
 probability the ship would be in pieces in less than half an 
 hour. At this alarming intelligence. Mynheer Von Stroom 
 jumped up from his chair, and in his hurry and fear 
 knocked down the candle which had just been lighted. 
 
 " In danger ! Mynheer Kloots ! — why, the water is 
 smooth and the wind down ! My hat — where is my hat 
 and my cane ? I will go on deck. Quick ! A light — 
 Mynheer Kloots, if you please to order a light to be 
 brought ; I can find nothing in the dark. Mynheer 
 KLloots, why do you not answer ? Mercy on me ! he is 
 gone and has left me." 
 
 Mynheer Kloots had gone to fetch a light, and now 
 returned with it. Mynheer Von Stroom put on his hat, 
 and walked out of the cabin. The boats were down, and 
 the ship's head had been turned round from the land ; but 
 
92 The Phantom Ship 
 
 it was now quite dark, and nothing was to be seen but the 
 white line of foam created by the breakers as they dashed 
 with an awful noise against the shore. 
 
 ** Mynheer Kloots, if you please, Fll leave the ship 
 directly. Let my boat come alongside — I must have the 
 largest boat for the Honourable Company's service — for 
 the papers and myself." 
 
 " I'm afraid not. Mynheer Von Stroom," replied Kloots ; 
 " our boats will hardly hold the men as it is, and every 
 man's life is as valuable to himself as yours is to you." 
 
 "But, Mynheer, I am the Company's supercargo. I 
 order you — I wiU have one — refuse if you dare." 
 
 " I dare, and do refuse," replied the captain, taking his 
 pipe out of his mouth. 
 
 " Well, well," replied Mynheer Von Stroom, who now 
 
 lost aU presence of mind — " we will, sir as soon as we 
 
 arrive Lord help us ! we are lost. O Lord ! O 
 
 Lord ! " And here Mynheer Von Stroom, not knowing 
 why, hurried down to the cabin, and in his haste tumbled 
 over the bear Johannes, who crossed his path, and in his 
 fall his hat and flowing wig parted company with his head. 
 
 ** O mercy ! where am I ? Help — help here ! for the 
 Company's honourable supercargo ! " 
 
 " Cast off there in the boats, and come on board," cried 
 Mynheer Kloots ; " we have no time to spare. Quick 
 now, Philip, put in the compass, the water, and the 
 biscuit 5 we must leave her in five minutes." 
 
 So appalling was the roar of the breakers, that it was 
 with difficulty that the orders could be heard. In the 
 meantime Mynheer Von Stroom lay upon the deck, kicking, 
 sprawling, and crying for help. 
 
 ** There is a light breeze off the shore," cried Philip, 
 holding up his hand. 
 
 " There is, but I'm afraid it is too late. Hand the 
 things into the boats, and be cool, my men. We have yet 
 a chance of saving her, if the wind freshens." 
 
 They were now so near to the breakers that they felt 
 the swell in which the vessel lay becalmed turned over 
 
The Phantom Ship 93 
 
 here and there on its long line, but the breeze freshened, 
 and the vessel was stationary ! the men were all in the 
 boats, with the exception of Mynheer Kloots, the mates, 
 and Mynheer Von Stroom. 
 
 " She goes through the water now," said Philip. 
 
 *' Yes, I think we shall save her," replied the captain : 
 " steady as you go, Hillebrant," continued he to the first 
 mate, who was at the helm. " We leave the breakers now 
 — only let the breeze hold ten minutes." 
 
 The breeze was steady, the Ter Schilling stood off from 
 the land, again it fell calm, and again she was swept 
 towards the breakers ; at last the breeze came off strong, 
 and the vessel cleaved through the water. The men were 
 called out of the boats ; Mynheer Von Stroom was picked 
 up along with his hat and wig, carried into the cabin, and 
 in less than an hour the Ter Schilling was out of danger. 
 
 ** Now we will hoist up the boats," said Mynheer Kloots, 
 *' and let us all, before we lie down to sleep, thank God 
 for our deliverance." 
 
 During that night the Ter Schilling made an offing of 
 twenty miles, and then stood to the southward ; towards 
 the morning the wind again fell, and it was nearly calm. 
 
 Mynheer Kloots had been on deck about an hour, and 
 had been talking with Hillebrant upon the danger of the 
 evening, and the selfishness and pusillanimity of Mynheer 
 Von Stroom, when a loud noise was heard in the poop-cabin. 
 
 " What can that be ? " said the captain ; " has the good 
 man lost his senses from the fright ? Why, he is knock- 
 ing the cabin to pieces." 
 
 At this moment the servant of the supercargo ran out of 
 the cabin. 
 
 " Mynheer Kloots, hasten in — help my master — he will 
 be killed— the bear ! — the bear ! " 
 
 ** The bear ! what, Johannes ? " cried Mynheer Kloots. 
 "Why, the animal is as tame as a dog. I will go and 
 see." 
 
 But before Mynheer Kloots could walk into the cabin, 
 out flew in his shirt the affrighted supercargo. " My 
 
94 The Phantom Ship 
 
 God ! my God ! am I to be murdered ? — eaten alive ? " 
 cried he, running forward, and attempting to climb the 
 fore-rigging. 
 
 Mynheer Kloots followed the motions of Mynheer Von 
 Stroom with surprise, and when he found him attempting 
 to mount the rigging, he turned aft and walked into the 
 cabin, when he found to his surprise that Johannes was 
 indeed doing mischief. 
 
 The panelling of the state cabin of the supercargo had 
 been beaten down, the wig boxes lay in fragments on the 
 floor, the two spare wigs were lying by them, and upon 
 them were strewed fragments of broken pots and masses 
 of honey, which Johannes was licking up with peculiar 
 gusto. 
 
 The fact was, that when the ship anchored at Table 
 Bay, Mynheer Von Stroom, who was very partial to honey, 
 had obtained some from the Hottentots. The honey his 
 careful servant had stowed away in jars, which he had 
 placed at the bottom of the two long boxes, ready for his 
 master's use during the remainder of the voyage. That 
 morning, the servant fancying that the wig of the previous 
 night had suffered when his master tumbled over the bear, 
 opened one of the boxes to take out another. Johannes 
 happened to come near the door, and scented the honey. 
 Now, partial as Mynheer Von Stroom was to honey, all 
 bears are still more so, and will venture everything to 
 obtain it. Johannes had yielded to the impulse of his 
 species, and, following the scent, had come into the cabin, 
 and was about to enter the sleeping-berth of Mynheer 
 Stroom, when the servant slammed the door in his face ; 
 whereupon Johannes beat in the panels, and found an 
 entrance. He then attacked the wig-boxes, and, by show- 
 ing a most formidable set of teeth, proved to the servant, 
 who attempted to drive him off, that he would not be 
 trifled with. In the meanwhile, Mynheer Von Stroom 
 was in the utmost terror : not aware of the purport of the 
 bear's visit, he imagined that the animal's object was to 
 attack him. His servant took to his heels after a vain 
 
The Phantom Ship 95 
 
 effort to save the last box, and Mynheer Von Stroom, 
 then finding himself alone, at length sprang out of his 
 bed-place, and escaped as we have mentioned to the fore- 
 castle, leaving Johannes master of the field, and luxuriating 
 upon the spolia opima. Mynheer Kloots immediately per- 
 ceived how the case stood. He went up to the bear and 
 spoke to him, then kicked him, but the bear would not 
 leave the honey, and growled furiously at the interruption. 
 " This is a bad job for you, Johannes," observed Mynheer 
 Kloots ; " now you will leave the ship, for the supercargo 
 has just grounds of complaint. Oh, well ! you must eat 
 the honey, because you will." So saying. Mynheer Kloots 
 left the cabin, and went to look after the supercargo, who 
 remained on the forecastle, with his bald head and meagre 
 body, haranguing the men in his shirt, which fluttered in 
 the breeze. 
 
 " I am very sorry. Mynheer Von Stroom," said Kloots, 
 ** but the bear shall be sent out of the vessel." 
 
 ** Yes, yes. Mynheer Kloots, but this is an affair for the 
 most puissant Company — the lives of their servants are not 
 to be sacrificed to the folly of a sea-captain. I have nearly 
 been torn to pieces." 
 
 " The animal did not want you ; all he wanted was the 
 honey," replied Kloots. "He has got it, and I myself 
 cannot take it from him. There is no altering the nature 
 of an animal. Will you be pleased to walk down into my 
 cabin until the beast can be secured } He shall not go 
 loose again." 
 
 Mynheer Von Stroom, who considered his dignity at 
 variance with his appearance, and who perhaps was aware 
 that majesty deprived of its externals was only a jest, 
 thought it advisable to accept the offer. After some 
 trouble, with the assistance of the seamen, the bear was 
 secured and dragged away from the cabin, much against 
 his will, for he had still some honey to lick off the curls of 
 the full-bottomed wigs. He was put into durance vile, 
 having been caught in the flagrant act of burglary on the 
 high seas. This new adventure was the topic of the day, 
 
g6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 for it was again a dead calm, and the ship lay motionless 
 on the glassy wave. 
 
 " The sun looks red as he sinks," observed Hillebrant 
 to the captain, who with Philip was standing on the 
 poop ; "we shall have wind before to-morrow, if I 
 mistake not." 
 
 " I am of your opinion," replied Mynheer Kloots. " It 
 is strange that we do not fall in with any of the vessels 
 of the fleet. They must all have been driven down 
 here." 
 
 " Perhaps they have kept a wider ofEng.** 
 
 ** It had been as well if we had done the same," said 
 Kloots, " That was a narrow escape last night. There 
 is such a thing as having too little as well as having too 
 much wind." 
 
 A confused noise was heard among the seamen who were 
 collected together, and looking in the direction of the 
 vessel's quarter, " A ship ! No — Yes, it is ! " was repeated 
 more than once. 
 
 " They think they see a ship," said Schriften, coming on 
 the poop. « He ! he ! " 
 
 *' Where?" 
 
 " There in the gloom ! " said the pilot, pointing to the 
 darkest quarter in the horizon, for the sun had set. 
 
 The captain, Hillebrant, and Philip directed their eyes 
 to the quarter pointed out, and thought they could 
 perceive something like a vessel. Gradually the gloom 
 seemed tc clear away, and a lambent pale blaze to light up 
 that part of the horizon. Not a breath of wind was on the 
 water — the sea was like a mirror — more and more distinct 
 did the vessel appear, till her hull, masts and yards were 
 clearly visible. They looked and rubbed their eyes to 
 help their vision, for scarcely could they believe that which 
 they did see. In the centre of the pale light, which extended 
 about fifteen degrees above the horizon, there was indeed 
 a large ship about three miles distant ; but, although it 
 was a perfect calm, she was to all appearance buffeting in 
 a violent gale, plunging and lifting over a surface that was 
 
The Phantom Ship 97 
 
 smooth as glass, now careening to her bearing, then 
 recovering herself. Her topsails and mainsail were furled, 
 and the yards pointed to the wind ; she had no sail set, but 
 a close-reefed fore-sail, a storm stay-sail, and trysail abaft. 
 She made little way through the water, but apparently 
 neared them fast, driven down by the force of the gale. 
 Each minute she was plainer to the view. At last, she was 
 seen to wear, and in so doing, before she was brought to the 
 wind on the other tack, she was so close to them that they 
 could distinguish the men on board : they could see the 
 foaming water as it was hurled from her bows ; hear the 
 shrill whistle of the boatswain's pipes, the creaking of the 
 ship's timbers, and the complaining of her masts ; and then 
 the gloom gradually rose, and in a few seconds she had 
 totally disappeared. 
 
 " God in heaven ! " exclaimed Mynheer Kloots. 
 
 Philip felt a hand upon his shoulder, and the cold darted 
 through his whole frame. He turned round and met the 
 one eye of Schriften, who screamed in his ear — 
 
 " Philip Vanderdecken — That's the Flying Dutch- 
 man I " 
 
 Chapter X 
 
 The sudden gloom which had succeeded to the pale light 
 had the effect of rendering every object still more indistinct 
 to the astonished crew of the Ter Schilling, For a moment 
 or more not a word was uttered by a soul on board. Some 
 remained with their eyes still strained towards the point 
 where the apparition had been seen, others turned away 
 full of gloomy and foreboding thoughts. Hillebrant was 
 the first who spoke : turning round to the eastern quarter, 
 and observing a light on the horizon, he started, and 
 seizing Philip by the arm, cried out, " What's that ? " 
 
 " That is only the moon rising from the bank of clouds," 
 replied Philip, mournfully. 
 
 " Well ! " observed Mynheer Kloots, wiping his 
 p.s. G 
 
98 The Phantom Ship 
 
 forehead, which was damp with perspiration, ** I have 
 been told of this before, but I have mocked at the 
 narration." 
 
 Philip made no reply. Aware of the reality of the vision, 
 and how deeply it interested him, he felt as if he were a 
 guilty person. 
 
 The moon had now risen above the clouds, and was 
 pouring her mild pale light over the slumbering ocean. 
 With a simultaneous impulse, everyone directed his eyes 
 to the spot where the strange vision had last been seen ; 
 and all was a dead, dead calm. 
 
 Since the apparition, the pilot, Schriften, had remained 
 on the poop ; he now gradually approached Mynheer Kloots, 
 and looking round, said — 
 
 ** Mynheer Kloots, as pilot of this vessel, I tell you that 
 you must prepare for very bad weather." 
 
 ** Bad weather ! " said Klloots, rousing himself from a 
 deep reverie. 
 
 " Yes, bad weather, Mynheer Kloots. There never 
 
 was a vessel which fell in with- what we have just seen, 
 
 but met with disaster soon afterwards. The very name of 
 Vanderdecken is unlucky — He ! he ! " 
 
 Philip would have replied to the sarcasm, but he could 
 not ; his tongue was tied. 
 
 " What has the name of Vanderdecken to do with it ? " 
 observed Kloots. 
 
 "Have you not heard, then? The captain of that 
 vessel we have just seen is a Mynheer Vanderdecken — he 
 is the Flying Dutchman ! " 
 
 " How know you that, pilot ? " inquired Hillebrant. 
 
 ** I know that, and much more, if I chose to tell," 
 replied Schriften; **but never mind, I have warned you 
 of bad weather, as is my duty •, " and, with these words, 
 Schriften went down the poop-ladder. 
 
 ** God in heaven ! I never was so puzzled and so 
 frightened in my life," observed Kloots. " I don't know 
 what to think or say. — What think you, Philip ? was it 
 not supernatural ? " 
 
The Phantom Ship 99 
 
 " Yes," replied Philip, mournfully. " I have no doubt 
 of it." 
 
 " I thought the days of miracles had passed," said the 
 captain, ** and that we were now left to our own exertions, 
 and had no other warnings but those the appearance of the 
 heavens gave us." 
 
 " And they warn us now," observed Hillebrant. " See 
 how that bank of clouds has risen within these five minutes — 
 the moon has escaped from it, but it will soon catch her again 
 — and see, there is a flash of lightning in the north-west." 
 
 ** Well, my sons, I can brave the elements as well as 
 any man, and do my best. I have cared little for gales or 
 stress of weather j but I like not such a warning as we 
 have had to-night. My heart's as heavy as lead, and that's 
 the truth. Philip, send down for the bottle of schnapps, 
 if it is only to clear my brain a little." 
 
 Philip was glad of an opportunity to quit the poop ; he 
 wished to have a few minutes to recover himself and 
 collect his own thoughts. The appearance of the Phantom 
 Ship had been to him a dreadful shock — not that he had 
 not fully believed in its existence; but still, to have 
 beheld, to have been so near that vessel — that vessel in 
 which his father was fulfilling his awful doom — that vessel 
 on board of which he felt sure that his own destiny was to 
 be worked out — had given a whirl to his brain. When he 
 had heard the sound of the boatswain's whistle on board of 
 her, eagerly had he stretched his hearing to catch the order 
 given — and given, he was convinced, in his father's voice. 
 Nor had his eyes been less called to aid in his attempt to 
 discover the features and dress of those moving on her 
 decks. As soon, then, as he had sent the boy up to 
 Mynheer Kloots, Philip hastened to his cabin and buried 
 his face in the coverlet of his bed, and then he prayed — 
 prayed until he had recovered his usual energy and 
 courage, and had brought his mind to that state of 
 composure which could enable him to look forward calmly 
 to danger and difficulty, and feel prepared to meet it with 
 the heroism of a martyr. 
 
loo The Phantom Ship 
 
 Philip remained below not more than half an hour. On 
 his return to the deck, what a change had taken place ! 
 He had left the vessel floating motionless on the still 
 waters, with her lofty sails hanging down listlessly from 
 the yards. The moon then soared aloft in her beauty, 
 reflecting the masts and sails of the ship in extended lines 
 upon the smooth sea. Now all was dark : the water 
 rippled short and broke in foam; the smaller and lofty 
 sails had been taken in, and the vessel was cleaving 
 through the water; and the wind, in fitful gusts and 
 angry moanings, proclaimed too surely that it had been 
 awakened up to wrath, and was gathering its strength for 
 destruction. The men were still busy reducing the sails, 
 but they worked gloomily and discontentedly. What 
 Schriften, the pilot, had said to them, Philip knew not y 
 but that they avoided him and appeared to look upon him 
 with feelings of ill-will, was evident. And each minute 
 the gale increased. 
 
 " The wind is not steady," observed Hillebrant ; " there 
 is no saying from which quarter the storm may blow : it 
 has already veered round five points. Philip, I don't much 
 like the appearance of things, and I may say with the 
 captain that my heart is heavy." 
 
 " And, indeed, so is mine," replied Philip ; " but we 
 are in the hands of a merciful Providence." 
 
 " Hard a-port ! flatten in forward ! brail up the trysail, 
 my men ! Be smart ! " cried Kloots, as from the wind's 
 chopping round to the northward and westward, the ship 
 was taken aback, and careened low before it. The rain 
 now came down in torrents, and it was so dark that it 
 was with difliculty they could perceive each other on the 
 deck. 
 
 *' We must clew up the topsails, while the men can get 
 upon the yards. See to it forward, Mr Hillebrant." 
 
 The lightning now darted athwart the firmament, and 
 the thunder pealed. 
 
 " Quick ! quick, my men, let's furl all ! " 
 
 The sailors shook the water from their streaming clothes. 
 
The Phantom Ship loi 
 
 some worked, others took advantage of the night to hide 
 themselves away, and commune with their own fears. 
 
 All canvas was now taken off the ship, except the fore- 
 staysail, and she flew to the southward with the wind on 
 her quarter. The sea had now risen, and roared as it 
 curled in foam, the rain fell in torrents, the night was dark 
 as Erebus, and the wet and frightened sailors sheltered 
 themselves under the bulwarks. Although many had 
 deserted from their duty, there was not one who ventured 
 below that night. They did not collect together as usual 
 — every man preferred solitude and his own thoughts. 
 The Phantom Ship dwelt on their imaginations, and 
 oppressed their brains. 
 
 It was an interminably long and terrible night — they 
 thought the day would never come. At last the darkness 
 gradually changed to a settled sullen grey gloom — which 
 was day. They looked at each other, but found no 
 comfort in meeting each other's eyes. There was no one 
 countenance in which a beam of hope could be found 
 lurking. They were all doomed — they remained crouched 
 where they had sheltered themselves during the night, and 
 said nothing. 
 
 The sea had now risen mountains high, and more than 
 once had struck the ship abaft. Kloots was at the 
 binnacle, Hillebrant and Philip at the helm, when a wave 
 curled high over the quarter, and poured itself in resistless 
 force upon the deck. The captain and his two mates were 
 swept away, and dashed almost senseless against the 
 bulwarks — the binnacle and compass were broken into 
 fragments — no one ran to the helm — the vessel broached 
 to — the seas broke clear over her, and the mainmast went 
 by the board. 
 
 All was confusion. Captain Kloots was stunned, and it 
 was with difficulty that Philip could persuade two of the 
 men to assist him down below. Hillebrant had been more 
 unfortunate — his right arm was broken, and he was other- 
 wise severely bruised ; Philip assisted him to his berth, and 
 then went on deck again to try and restore order. 
 
I02 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Philip Vanderdecken was not yet much of a seaman, but, 
 at all events, he exercised that moral influence over the 
 men which is ever possessed by resolution and courage. 
 Obey willingly they did not, but they did obey, and in 
 half an hour the vessel was clear of the wreck. Eased by 
 the loss of her heavy mast, and steered by two of her best 
 seamen, she again flew before the gale. 
 
 Where was Mynheer Von Stroom during all this work 
 of destruction ? In his bed-place, covered up with the 
 clothes, trembling in every limb, and vowing that if ever 
 again he put his foot on shore, not all the companies in the 
 world should induce him to trust to salt-water again. It 
 certainly was the best plan for the poor man. 
 
 But although for a time the men obeyed the orders of 
 Philip, they were soon seen talking earnestly with the one- 
 eyed pilot, and after a consultation of a quarter of an hour,, 
 they all left the deck, with the exception of the two at the 
 helm. Their reasons for so doing were soon apparent — 
 several returned with cans full of liquor, which they had 
 obtained by forcing the hatches of the spirit-room. For 
 about an hour Philip remained on deck, persuading the 
 men not to intoxicate themselves, but in vain ; the cans of 
 grog offered to the men at the wheel were not refused, 
 and, in a short time, the yawing of the vessel proved that 
 the liquor had taken its effect. Philip then hastened down 
 below to ascertain if Mynheer Kloots was sufficiently 
 recovered to come on deck. He found him sunk into a deep 
 sleep, and with difficulty it was that he roused him, and 
 made him acquainted with the distressing intelligence. 
 Mynheer EUoots followed Philip on deck, but he still 
 suffered from his fall : his head was confused, and he 
 reeled as he walked, as if he also had been making free 
 with the liquor. When he had been on deck a few minutes, 
 he sank down on one of the guns in a state of perfect 
 helplessness ; he had, in fact, received a severe concussion 
 of the brain. Hillebrant was too severely injured to be 
 able to move from his bed, and Philip was now aware of 
 the helplessness of their situation. Daylight gradually 
 
The Phantom Ship 103 
 
 disappeared, and, as darkness came upon them, so did the 
 scene become more appalling. The vessel still ran before 
 the gale, but the men at the helm had evidently changed 
 her course, as the wind that was on the starboard was now 
 on the larboard quarter. But compass there was none on 
 deck, and, even if there had been, the men in their drunken 
 state would have refused to listen to Philip's orders or 
 expostulations. " He," they said, " was no sailor, and was 
 not to teach them how to steer the ship " The gale was now 
 at its height. The rain had ceased, but the wind had 
 increased, and it roared as it urged on the vessel, which, 
 steered so wide by the drunken sailors, shipped seas over 
 each gunnel ; but the men laughed and joined the chorus 
 of their songs to the howling of the gale. 
 
 Schriften, the pilot, appeared to be the leader of the 
 ship's company. With the can of liquor in his hand, he 
 danced and sang, snapped his fingers, and, like a demon, 
 peered with his one eye upon Philip ; and then would he 
 fall and roll with screams of laughter in the scuppers. 
 More liquor was handed up as fast as it was called for. 
 Oaths, shrieks, laughter, were mingled together; the 
 men at the helm lashed it amidships, and hastened to join 
 their companions, and the Ter Schilling flew before the 
 gale ; the fore-staysail being the only sail set, checking 
 her as she yawed to starboard or to port. Philip re- 
 mained on deck by the poop-ladder. " Strange," thought 
 he, ** that I should stand here, the only one left now 
 capable of acting, — that I should be fated to look by 
 myself upon this scene of horror and disgust — should 
 here wait the severing of this vessel's timbers, — the loss 
 of life which must accompany it, — the only one calm and 
 collected, or aware of what must soon take place. God 
 forgive me, but I appear, useless and impotent as I am, 
 to stand here like the master of the storm, — separated 
 as it were from my brother mortals by my own peculiar 
 destiny. It must be so. This wreck then must not be 
 for me, — I feel that it is not, — that I have a charmed 
 life, or rather a protracted one, to fulfil the oath I 
 
I04 The Phantom Ship 
 
 registered in heaven. But the wind is not so loud, surely 
 the water is not so rough : my forebodings may be wrong, 
 and all may yet be saved. Heaven grant it ! For how 
 melancholy, how lamentable is it, to behold men created 
 in God's own image, leaving the world, disgraced below 
 the brute creation ! " 
 
 Philip was right in supposing that the wind was not 
 so strong, nor the sea so high. The vessel, after running 
 to the southward till past Table Bay, had, by the altera- 
 tion made in her course, entered into False Bay, where, 
 to a certain degree, she was sheltered from the violence 
 of the winds and waves. But, although the water was 
 smoother, the waves were still more than sufficient to 
 beat to pieces any vessel that might be driven on shore 
 at the bottom of the bay, to which point the Ter Schilling 
 was now running. The bay so far offered a fair chance 
 of escape, as, instead of the rocky coast outside (against 
 which, had the vessel run, a few seconds would have 
 insured her destruction), there was a shelving beach of 
 loose sand. But of this Philip could, of course, have 
 no knowledge, for the land at the entrance of the 
 Bay had been passed unperceived in the darkness of 
 the night. About twenty minutes more had elapsed, 
 when Philip observed that the whole sea around them 
 was one continued foam. He had hardly time for con- 
 jecture before the ship struck heavily on the sands, and 
 the remaining masts fell by the board. 
 
 The crash of the falling masts, the heavy beating of the 
 ship on the sands, which caused many of her timbers to 
 part, with a whole sea which swept clean over the fated 
 vessel, checked the songs and drunken revelry of the crew. 
 Another minute, and the vessel was swung round on her 
 broadside to the sea, and lay on her beam ends. Philip, 
 who was to windward, clung to the bulwark, while the 
 intoxicated seamen floundered in the water to leeward, 
 and attempted to gain the other side of the ship. Much 
 to Philip's horror, he perceived the body of Mynheer 
 Kloots sink down in the water (which now was several 
 
The Phantom Ship 105 
 
 feet deep on the lee side of the deck) without any apparent 
 effort on the part of the captain to save himself. He was 
 then gone, and there were no hopes for him. Philip 
 thought of Hillebrant, and hastened down below ; he 
 found him still in his bed-place, lying against the side. 
 He lifted him out, and with difficulty climbed with him 
 on deck, and laid him in the long-boat on the booms, 
 as the best chance of saving his life. To this boat, the 
 only one which could be made available, the crew had 
 also repaired ; but they repulsed Philip, who would have 
 got into her; and, as the sea made clean breakers over 
 them, they cast loose the lashings which confined her. 
 With the assistance of another heavy sea which lifted her 
 from the chocks, she was borne clear of the booms and 
 dashed over the gunnel into the water, to leeward, which 
 was comparatively smooth — not, however, without being 
 filled nearly up to the thwarts. But this was little cared 
 for by the intoxicated seamen, who, as soon as they were 
 afloat, again raised their shouts and songs of revelry as 
 they were borne away by the wind and sea towards the 
 beach. Philip, who held on by the stump of the main- 
 mast, watched them with an anxious eye, now perceiving 
 them borne aloft on the foaming surf, now disappearing 
 in the trough. More and more distant were the sounds 
 of their mad voices, till, at last, he could hear them no 
 more, — he beheld the boat balanced on an enormous 
 rolling sea, and then he saw it not again. 
 
 Philip knew that now his only chance was to remain 
 with the vessel, and attempt to save himself upon some 
 fragment of the wreck. That the ship would long hold 
 together he felt was impossible; already she had parted 
 her upper decks, and each shock of the waves divided her 
 more and more. At last, as he clung to the mast, he heard 
 a noise abaft, and he then recollected that Mynheer 
 Von Stroom was still in his cabin. Philip crawled aft, 
 and found that the poop-ladder had been thrown against 
 the cabin door, so as to prevent its being opened. He 
 removed it and entered the cabin, where he found Mynheer 
 
io6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Von Stroom clinging to windward with the grasp of deaths 
 — but it was not death, but the paralysis of fear. He 
 spoke to him, but could obtain no reply; he attempted 
 to move him, but it was impossible to make him let 
 go the part of the bulk-head that he grasped. A 
 loud noise and the rush of a mass of water told Philip that 
 the vessel had parted amid-ships, and he unwillingly 
 abandoned the poor supercargo to his fate, and went out 
 of the cabin door. At the after-hatchway he observed 
 something struggling, — it was Johannes the bear, who 
 was swimming, but still fastened by a cord which prevented 
 his escape. Philip took out his knife, and released the 
 poor animal, and hardly had he done this act of kindness 
 when a heavy sea turned over the after part of the vessel, 
 which separated in many pieces, and Philip found himself 
 struggling in the waves. He seized upon a part of the 
 deck which supported him, and was borne away by the 
 surf towards the beach. In a few minutes he was near to 
 the land, and shortly afterwards the piece of planking to 
 which he was clinging struck on the sand, and then, being 
 turned over by the force of the running wave, Philip lost 
 his hold, and was left to his own exertions. He struggled 
 long, but, although so near to the shore, could not gain a 
 footing ; the returning wave dragged him back, and thus 
 was he hurled to and fro until his strength was gone. He 
 was sinking under the wave to rise no more, when he felt 
 something touch his hand. He .seized it with the grasp of 
 death. It was the shaggy hide of the bear Johannes, who 
 was making for the shore, and who soon dragged him 
 clear of the surf, so that he could gain a footing. Philip 
 crawled up the beach above the reach of the waves, and, 
 exhausted with fatigue, sank down in a swoon. 
 
 When Philip was recalled from his state of lethargy, 
 his first feeling was intense pain in his still closed eyes, 
 arising from having been many hours exposed to the rays 
 of an ardent sun. He opened them, but was obliged to 
 close them immediately, for the light entered into them 
 like the point of a knife. He turned over on his side, and 
 
The Phantom Ship 107 
 
 covering them with his hand, remained some time in that 
 position, until, by degrees, he found that his eyesight was 
 restored. He then rose, and, after a few seconds could 
 distinguish the scene around him. The sea was still 
 rough, and tossed about in the surf fragments of the 
 vessel ; the whole sand was strewed with her cargo and 
 contents. Near him was the body of Hillebrant, and the 
 other bodies who were scattered on the beach told 
 him that those who had taken to the boat had ail 
 perished. 
 
 It was, by the height of the sun, about three o'clock in 
 the afternoon, as near as he could estimate ; but Philip 
 suffered such an oppression of mind, he felt so wearied, 
 and in such pain, that he took but a slight survey. His 
 brain was whirling, and all he demanded was repose. He 
 walked away from the scene of destruction, and having 
 found a sandhill, behind which he was defended from the 
 burning rays of the sun, he again lay down, and sank into 
 a deep sleep, from which he did not wake until the 
 ensuing morning. 
 
 Philip was roused a second time by the sensation of 
 something pricking him on the chest. He started up, and 
 beheld a figure standing over him. His eyes were still 
 feeble, and his vision indistinct ; he rubbed them for a 
 time, for he first thought it was the bear Johannes, and 
 again that it was the supercargo Von Stroom who had 
 appeared before him ; he looked again, and found that he 
 was mistaken, although he had warrant for supposing it to 
 be either or both. A tall Hottentot, with an assagai in 
 his hand, stood by his side; over his shoulder he had 
 thrown the fresh-severed skin of the poor bear, and on his 
 head, with the curls descending to his waist, was one of 
 the wigs of the supercargo Von Stroom. Such was the 
 gravity of the black's appearance in this strange costume 
 (for in every other respect he was naked), that, at any 
 other time, Philip would have been induced to laugh 
 heartily, but his feelings were now too acute. He rose 
 upon his feet and stood by the side of the Hottentot, 
 
io8 The Phantom Ship 
 
 who still continued immovable, but certainly without the 
 slightest appearance of hostile intentions. 
 
 A sensation of overpowering thirst now seized upon 
 Philip, and he made signs that he wished to drink. The 
 Hottentot motioned to him to follow, and led over the 
 sandhills to the beach, where Philip discovered upwards 
 of fifty men, who were busy selecting various articles 
 from the scattered stores of the vessel. It was evident 
 by the respect paid to Philip's conductor, that he was 
 the chief of the kraal. A few words, uttered with the 
 greatest solemnity, were sufficient to produce, though 
 not exactly what Philip required, a small quantity of 
 dirty water from a calabash, which, however, was, to 
 him, delicious. His conductor then waved to him to 
 take a seat on the sand. 
 
 It was a novel and appalling, and nevertheless a ludicrous 
 scene : there was the white sand, rendered still more 
 white by the strong glare of the sun, strewed with the 
 fragments of the vessel, with casks and bales of mer- 
 chandise ; there was the running surge with its foam, 
 throwing about particles of the wreck: there were the 
 bones of whales which had been driven on shore in some 
 former gale, and which now, half-buried in the sand, 
 showed portions of huge skeletons ; there were the 
 mangled bodies of Philip's late companions, whose clothes, 
 it appeared, had been untouched by the savages, with 
 the exception of the buttons, which had been eagerly 
 sought after; there were naked Hottentots (for it was 
 summer time, and they wore not their sheepskin krosses) 
 gravely stepping up and down the sand, picking up every- 
 thing that was of no value, and leaving all that civilised 
 people most coveted ; — to crown all, there was the chief, 
 sitting in the still bloody skin of Johannes and the broad- 
 bottomed wig of Mynheer Stroom, with all the gravity 
 of a vice-chancellor in his countenance, and without the 
 slightest idea that he was in any way ridiculous. The 
 whole presented, perhaps, one of the most strange and 
 chaotic tableaux that ever was witnessed. 
 
The Phantom Ship 109 
 
 Although, at that time, the Dutch had not very long 
 formed their settlement at the Cape, a considerable traffic 
 had been, for many years, carried on with the natives for 
 skins and other African productions. The Hottentots 
 were therefore no strangers to vessels, and, as hitherto 
 they had been treated with kindness, were well-disposed 
 towards Europeans. After a time, the Hottentots began 
 to collect all the wood which appeared to have iron in 
 it, made it up into several piles, and set them on fire. 
 The chief then made a sign to Philip, to ask him if he 
 was hungry; Philip replied in the affirmative, when his 
 new acquaintance put his hand into a bag made of goat- 
 skin, and pulled out a handful of very large beetles, and 
 presented them to him. Philip refused them with marks 
 of disgust, upon which the chief very sedately cracked 
 and ate them ; and having finished the whole handful, 
 rose, and made a sign to Philip to follow him. As Philip 
 rose, he perceived floating on the surf his own chest ; 
 he hastened to it, and made signs that it was his, took 
 the key out of his pocket, and opened it, and then made 
 up a bundle of articles most useful, not forgetting a bag 
 of guilders. His conductor made no objection, but calling 
 to one of the men near, pointed out the lock and hinges 
 to him, and then set off, followed by Philip, across the 
 sand-hills. In about an hour they arrived at the kraal, 
 consisting of low huts covered with skins, and were met 
 by the women and children, who appeared to be in high 
 admiration at their chief's new attire : they showed every 
 kindness to Philip, bringing him milk, which he drank 
 eagerly. Philip surveyed these daughters of Eve, and, 
 as he turned from their offensive, greasy attire, their 
 strange forms, and hideous features, he sighed and thought 
 of his charming Amine. 
 
 The sun was now setting, and Philip still felt fatigued. 
 He made signs that he wished to repose. They led him 
 into a hut, and, though surrounded as he was with filth, 
 and his nose assailed by every variety of bad smell, 
 attacked moreover by insects, he laid his head on his 
 
no The Phantom Ship 
 
 bundle, and uttering a short prayer of thanksgiving, was 
 soon in a sound sleep. 
 
 The next morning he was awakened by the chief of 
 the kraal, accompanied by another man who spoke a little 
 Dutch. He stated his wish to be taken to the settlement 
 where the ships came and anchored, and was fully under- 
 stood ; but the man said that there were no ships in the 
 bay at the time. Philip nevertheless requested he might 
 be taken there, as he felt that his best chance of getting 
 on board of any vessel would be by remaining at the 
 settlement, and, at all events, he would be in the company 
 of Europeans until a vessel arrived. The distance he dis- 
 covered was but one day's march, or less. After some 
 little conversation with the chief, the man who spoke 
 Dutch desired Philip to follow him, and he would take 
 him there. Philip drank plentifully from a bowl of milk 
 brought him by one of the women, and again refusing 
 a handful of beetles offered by the chief, he took up his 
 bundle, and followed his new acquaintance. 
 
 Towards evening they arrived at the hills, from which 
 Philip had a view of Table Bay, and the few houses 
 erected by the Dutch. To his delight, he perceived that 
 there was a vessel under sail in the ofEng. On his arrival 
 at the beach, to which he hastened, he found that she had 
 sent a boat on shore for fresh provisions. He accosted 
 the people, told them who he was, told them also of the 
 fatal wreck of the Ter Schillings and of his wish to embark. 
 
 The officer in charge of the boat willingly consented to 
 take him on board, and informed Philip that they were 
 homeward bound. Philip's heart leaped at the intelligence. 
 Had she been outward bound, he would have joined her ; 
 but now he had a prospect of again seeing his dear Amine, 
 before he re-embarked to follow out his peculiar destiny 
 He felt that there was still some happiness in store for 
 him, that his life was to be chequered with alternate 
 privation and repose, and that his future prospect was not 
 to be one continued chain of suffering until death. 
 
 He was kindly received by the captain of the vessel, 
 
The Phantom Ship iii 
 
 who freely gave him a passage home; and in three months, 
 without any events worth narrating, Philip Vanderdecken 
 found himself once more at anchor before the town of 
 Amsterdam. 
 
 Chapter XI 
 
 It need hardly be observed, that Philip made all possible 
 haste to his own little cottage, which contained all that he 
 valued in this world. He promised to himself some 
 months of happiness, for he had done his duty ; and he 
 felt that, however desirous of fulfilling his vow, he could 
 not again leave home till the autumn, when the next fleet 
 sailed, and it was now but the commencement of April. 
 Much, too, as he regretted the loss of Mynheer Kloots 
 and Hillebrant, as well as the deaths of the unfortunate 
 crew, still there was some solace in the remembrance that 
 he was for ever rid of the wretch Schriften, who had 
 shared their fate ; and besides, he almost blessed the 
 wreck, so fatal to others, which enabled him so soon to 
 return to the arms of his Amine. 
 
 It was late in the evening when Philip took a boat from 
 Flushing, and went over to his cottage at Terneuse. It 
 was a rough evening for the season of the year. The 
 wind blew fresh, and the sky was covered with flaky 
 clouds, fringed here and there with broad white edges, for 
 the light of the moon was high in the heavens, and she 
 was at her full. At times her light would be almost 
 obscured by a dark cloud passing over her disc ; at others, 
 she would burst out in all her brightness. Philip landed, 
 and wrapping his cloak round him, hastened up to his 
 cottage. As with a beating heart he approached, he per- 
 ceived that the window of the parlour was open, and that 
 there was a female figure leaning out. He knew that it 
 could be no other than his Amine, and, after he crossed 
 the httle bridge, he proceeded to the window, instead of 
 going to the door. Amine (for it was she who stood at 
 
112 The Phantom Ship 
 
 the window) was so absorbed in contemplation of the 
 heavens above her, and so deep in communion with her 
 own thoughts, that she neither saw nor heard the approach 
 of her husband. Philip perceived her abstraction, and 
 paused when within four or five yards of her. He wished 
 to gain the door without being observed, as he was afraid 
 of alarming her by his too sudden appearance, for he 
 remembered his promise, " that if dead he would, if per- 
 mitted, visit her as his father had visited his mother.'*" 
 But while he thus stood in suspense, Amine's eyes were 
 turned upon him : she beheld him, but a thick cloud now 
 obscured the moon's disc, and the dim light gave to his 
 form, indistinctly seen, an unearthly and shadowy appear- 
 ance. She recognised her husband ; but having no reason 
 to expect his return, she recognised him as an inhabitant 
 of the world of spirits. She started, parted the hair away 
 from her forehead with both hands, and again earnestly 
 gazed on him. 
 
 "It is I, Amine, do not be afraid," cried Philip, hastily. 
 
 '* I am not afraid," replied Amine, pressing her hand to 
 her heart. " It is over now : spirit of my dear husband — 
 for such I think thou art, I thank thee ! Welcome, even 
 in death, Philip, welcome ! " and Amine waved her hand 
 mournfully, inviting Philip to enter, as she retired from 
 the window. 
 
 " My God ! she thinks me dead," thought Philip, and 
 hardly knowing how to act, he entered in at the window, 
 and found her sitting on the sofa. Philip would have 
 spoken ; but Amine, whose eyes were fixed upon him as 
 he entered, and who was fully convinced that he was but 
 a supernatural appearance, exclaimed — 
 
 " So soon — so soon ! O God ! thy will be done : but it 
 is hard to bear. Philip, beloved Philip ! I feel that I soon 
 shall follow you." 
 
 Philip was now more alarmed : he was fearful of any 
 sudden reaction when Amine should discover that he was 
 still alive. 
 
 ** Amine, dear, hear me. I have appeared unexpectedly. 
 
The Phantom Ship 113 
 
 and at an unusual hour ; but throw yourself into my arms, 
 and you will find that your Philip is not dead." 
 
 " Not dead ! " cried Amine, starting up. 
 
 " No, no, still warm in flesh and blood, Amine — still 
 your fond and doting husband," replied Philip, catching 
 her in his arms, and pressing her to his heart. 
 
 Amine sank from his embrace down upon the sofa, and 
 fortunately was relieved by a burst of tears, while Philip, 
 kneeling by her, supported her. 
 
 " O God ! O God ! I thank thee," replied Amine, at 
 last. " I thought it was your spirit, Philip. O I was 
 glad to see even that," continued she, weeping on his 
 shoulder. 
 
 " Can you listen to me, dearest ? " said Philip, after a 
 silence of a few moments. 
 
 ** O speak, speak, love ; I can listen for ever." 
 
 In a few words Philip then recounted what had taken 
 place, and the occasion of his unexpected return, and felt 
 himself more than repaid for all that he had suffered by the 
 fond endearments of his still agitated Amine. 
 
 " And your father. Amine ? " 
 
 " He is well — we will talk of him to-morrow." 
 
 ** Yes," thought Philip, as he awoke next morning, and 
 dwelt upon the lovely features of his still slumbering 
 wife ; " yes, God is merciful. I feel that there is still 
 happiness in store for me ; nay more, that that happiness 
 also depends upon my due performance of my task, and 
 that I should be punished if I were to forget my solemn 
 vow. Be it so, — through danger and to death will I 
 perform my duty, trusting to his mercy for a reward 
 both here below and in heaven above. Am I not repaid 
 for all that I have suffered ? O yes, more than repaid," 
 thought Philip, as, with a kiss, he disturbed the slumber 
 of his wife, and met her full dark eyes fixed upon him, 
 beaming with love and joy. 
 
 Before Philip went downstairs, he inquired about 
 Mynheer Poots. 
 
 **My father has indeed troubled me much," replied 
 
 P.S. H 
 
114 '^^^ Phantom Ship 
 
 Amine. " I am obliged to lock the parlour when I leave 
 it, for more than once I have found him attempting to 
 force the locks of the buffets. His love of gold is insati- 
 able : he dreams of nothing else. He has caused me much 
 pain, insisting that I never should see you again, and that 
 I should surrender to him all your wealth. But he fears 
 me, and he fears your return much more." 
 
 " Is he well in health ? " 
 
 "Not ill, but still evidently wasting away, — like a 
 candle burnt down to the socket, flitting and flaring 
 alternately *, at one time almost imbecile, at others, talking 
 and planning as if he were in the vigour of his youth. O 
 what a curse it must be — that love of money ! I believe — 
 Fm shocked to say so, Philip, — that that poor old man, 
 now on the brink of a grave into which he can take 
 nothing, would sacrifice your life and mine to have 
 possession of those guilders, the whole of which I would 
 barter for one kiss from thee." 
 
 " Indeed, Amine, has he then attempted anything in my 
 absence ? " 
 
 "I dare not speak my thoughts, Philip, nor will I 
 venture upon surmises, which it were difficult to prove. 
 I watch him carefully; — but talk no more about him. 
 You will see him soon, and do not expect a hearty 
 welcome, or believe that, if given, it is sincere. I will 
 not tell him of your return, as I wish to mark the effect." 
 
 Amine then descended to prepare breakfast, and Philip 
 walked out for a few minutes. On his return, he found 
 Mynheer Poots sitting at the table with his daughter. 
 
 " Merciful Allah ! am I right ? " cried the old man : " is 
 it you, Mynheer Vanderdecken ? " 
 
 " Even so," replied Philip, " I returned last night." 
 
 ** And you did not tell me, Amine." 
 
 " I wished that you should be surprised," replied Amine. 
 
 ** I am surprised ! When do you sail again. Mynheer 
 Philip ? very soon, I suppose ? perhaps to-morrow ? " said 
 Mynheer Poots. 
 
 " Not for many months, I trust," replied Philip. 
 
The Phantom Ship 115 
 
 " Not for many months ! — that is a long while to be 
 idle. You must make money. Tell me, have you brought 
 back plenty this time ? " 
 
 " No," replied Philip ; " I have been wrecked, and very 
 nearly lost my life." 
 
 ** But you will go again ? " 
 
 ** Yes, in good time I shall go again." 
 
 ** Very well, we will take care of your house and your 
 guilders." 
 
 " I shall perhaps save you the trouble of taking care of 
 my guilders," replied Philip, to annoy the old man, " for I 
 mean to take them with me." 
 
 " To take them with you ! for what, pray ? " replied 
 Poots, in alarm. 
 
 "To purchase goods where I go, and make more 
 money." 
 
 " But you may be wrecked again, and then the money 
 will be all lost. No, no; go yourself. Mynheer Philip; 
 but you must not take your guilders." 
 
 " Indeed I will," replied Philip ; " when I leave this, I 
 shall take all my money with me." 
 
 During this conversation it occurred to Philip that, if 
 Mynheer Poots could only be led to suppose that he took 
 away his money with him, there would be more quiet for 
 Amine, who was now obliged, as she had informed him, 
 to be constantly on the watch. He determined, therefore, 
 when he next departed, to make the doctor beheve that he 
 had taken his wealth with him. 
 
 Mynheer Poots did not renew the conversation, but 
 sank into gloomy thought. In a few minutes he left the 
 parlour, and went up to his own room, when Philip stated 
 to his wife what had induced him to make the old man 
 believe that he should embark his property. 
 
 " It was thoughtful of you, Philip, and I thank you for 
 your kind feeling towards me ; but I wish you had said 
 nothing on the subject. You do not know my father ; I 
 must now watch him as an enemy." 
 
 "We have little to fear from an infirm old man," 
 
ii6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 replied Philip, laughing. But Amine thought otherwise, 
 and was ever on her guard. 
 
 The spring and summer passed rapidly away, for they 
 were happy. Many were the conversations between Philip 
 and Amine, relative to what had passed — the supernatural 
 appearance of his father's ship, and the fatal wreck. 
 
 Amine felt that more dangers and difficulties were pre- 
 paring for her husband, but she never once attempted to 
 dissuade him from renewing his attempts in fulfilment of 
 his vow. Like him, she looked forward with hope and 
 confidence, aware that, at some time, his fate must be 
 accomplished, and trusting only that that hour would be 
 long delayed. 
 
 At the close of the summer, Philip again went to 
 Amsterdam, to procure for himself a berth in one of the 
 vessels which were to sail at the approach of winter. 
 
 The wreck of the Ter Schilling was well known ; and the 
 circumstances attending it, with the exception of the ap- 
 pearance of the Phantom Ship, had been drawn up by 
 Philip on his passage home, and communicated to the 
 Court of Directors. Not only on account of the very 
 creditable manner in which that report had been prepared, 
 but in consideration of his peculiar sufferings and escape, 
 he had been promised by the Company a berth, as second 
 mate, on board of one of their vessels, should he be again 
 inclined to sail to the East Indies. 
 
 Having called upon the Directors, he received his 
 appointment to the Batavia, a fine vessel of about 400 tons 
 burden. Having effected his purpose, Philip hastened back 
 to Terneuse, and, in the presence of Mynheer Poots, in- 
 formed Amine of what he had done. 
 
 " So you go to sea again ? " observed Mynheer Poots. 
 
 " Yes, but not for two months, I expect," replied Philip, 
 
 ** Ah ! " replied Poots, " in two months ! " and the old 
 man muttered to himself. 
 
 How true it is that we can more easily bear up against 
 a real evil than against suspense ! Let it not be supposed 
 that Amine fretted at the thought of her approaching 
 
The Phantom Ship 117 
 
 separation from her husband ; she lamented it, but feeling 
 his departure to be an imperious duty, and having it ever 
 in her mind, she bore up against her feelings, and sub- 
 mitted, without repining, to what could not be averted. 
 There was, however, one circumstance, which caused her 
 much uneasiness — that was the temper and conduct of her 
 father. Amine, who knew his character well, perceived 
 that he already secretly hated Philip, whom he regarded as 
 an obstacle to his obtaining possession of the money in the 
 house ; for the old man was well aware that, if Philip were 
 dead, his daughter would care little who had possession of, 
 or what became of it. The thought that Philip was about 
 to take that money with him had almost turned the brain 
 of the avaricious old man. He had been watched by 
 Amine, and she had seen him walk for hours muttering to 
 himself, and not, as usual, attending to his profession. 
 
 A few evenings after his return from Amsterdam, 
 Philip, who had taken cold, complained of not being 
 well. 
 
 " Not well ! " cried the old man, starting up ; " let me 
 see — yes, your pulse is very quick. Amine, your poor 
 husband is very ill. He must go to bed, and I will give 
 him something which will do him good. I shall charge 
 you nothing, Philip — nothing at all." 
 
 " I do not feel so very unwell. Mynheer Poots," replied 
 Philip 5**1 have had a bad headache certainly." 
 
 " Yes, and you have fever also, Philip, and prevention 
 is better than cure ; so go to bed, and take what I send 
 you, and you will be well to-morrow." 
 
 Philip went upstairs, accompanied by Amine ; and 
 Mynheer Poots went into his own room to prepare the 
 medicine. So soon as Philip was in bed. Amine went 
 downstairs, and was met by her father, who put a powder 
 into her hands to give to her husband, and then left 
 the parlour. 
 
 ** God forgive me if I wrong my father," thought 
 Amine; **but I have my doubts. Philip is ill, more so 
 than he will acknowledge j and if he does not take some 
 
ii8 The Phantom Ship 
 
 remedies, he may be worse — but my heart misgives me 
 — I have a foreboding. Yet surely he cannot be so 
 diabolically wicked." 
 
 Amine examined the contents of the paper : it was a 
 very small quantity of dark brown powder, and, by the 
 directions of Mynheer Foots, to be given in a tumbler 
 of warm wine. Mynheer Foots had offered to heat the wine. 
 His return from the kitchen broke Amine's meditations. 
 
 " Here is the wine, my child ; now give him a whole 
 tumbler of wine, and the powder, and let him be covered 
 up warm, for the perspiration will soon burst out, and 
 it must not be checked. Watch him. Amine, and keep 
 the clothes on, and he will be well to-morrow morning." 
 And Mynheer Foots quitted the room, saying, " Good« 
 night, my child." 
 
 Amine poured out the powder into one of the silver 
 mugs upon the table, and then proceeded to mix it up 
 with the wine. Her suspicions had, for the time, been 
 removed by the kind tone of her father's voice. To do 
 him justice as a medical practitioner, he appeared always 
 to be most careful of his patients. When Amine mixed 
 the powder, she examined and perceived that there was 
 no sediment, and the wine was as clear as before. This^ 
 was unusual, and her suspicions revived. 
 
 " I like it not," said she ; " I fear my father — God 
 help me ! — I hardly know what to do — I will not give 
 it to Fhilip. The warm wine may produce perspiration 
 sufficient." 
 
 Amine paused, and again reflected. She had mixed the 
 powder with so small a portion of wine that it did not 
 fill a quarter of the cup ; she put it on one side, filled 
 another up to the brim with the warm wine, and then 
 went up to the bedroom. 
 
 On the landing-place she was met by her father, whom 
 she supposed to have retired to rest. 
 
 ** Take care you do not spill it. Amine. That is right, 
 let him have a whole cupful. Stop, give it to me ; I will 
 take it to him myself." 
 
The Phantom Ship 119 
 
 Mynheer Foots took the cup from Amine's hands, and 
 went into Philip's room. 
 
 " Here, my son, drink this off, and you will be well," 
 said Mynheer Foots, whose hand trembled so that he 
 spilt the wine on the coverlet. Amine, who watched her 
 father, was more than ever pleased that she had not put 
 the powder into the cup. Philip rose on his elbow, 
 drank off the wine, and Mynheer Foots then wished him 
 good-night. 
 
 **Do not leave him. Amine, I will see all right," said 
 Mynheer Foots, as he left the room. And Amine, who 
 had intended to go down for the candle left in the parlour, 
 remained with her husband, to whom she confided her 
 feelings, and also the fact that she had not given him 
 the powder. 
 
 ** I trust that you are mistaken. Amine," replied Philip, 
 ** indeed I feel sure that you must be. No man can be so 
 bad as you suppose your father." 
 
 " You have not lived with him as I have ; you have not 
 seen what I have seen," replied Amine. " You know not 
 what gold will tempt people to do in this world — but, 
 however, I may be wrong. At all events, you must go to 
 sleep, and I shall watch you, dearest. Pray do not speak 
 — I feel I cannot sleep just now — I wish to read a little — I 
 will lie down by-and-bye." 
 
 Philip made no further objections, and was soon in a 
 sound sleep, and Amine watched him in silence till mid- 
 night long had passed. 
 
 **He breathes heavily," thought Amine; "but had I 
 given him that powder, who knows if he had ever awoke 
 again ? My father is so deeply skilled in the Eastern 
 knowledge, that I fear him. Too often has he, I well 
 know, for a purse well filled with gold, prepared the sleep 
 of death. Another would shudder at the thought; but 
 he, who has dealt out death at the will of his employers, 
 would scruple little to do so even to the husband of his 
 own daughter ; and I have watched him in his moods, and 
 know his thoughts and wishes. What a foreboding of 
 
120 The Phantom Ship 
 
 mishap has come over me this evening ! — what a fear of 
 evil ! Phihp is ill, 'tis true, but not so very ill. No ! no ! 
 besides, his time is not yet come ; he has his dreadful task 
 to finish. I would it were morning. How soundly he 
 sleeps ! and the dew is on his brow. I must cover him up 
 warm, and watch that he remains so. Some one knocks 
 at the entrance-door. Now will they wake him. 'Tis a 
 summons for my father." 
 
 Amine left the room, and hastened downstairs. It was, 
 as she supposed, a summons for Mynheer Foots to a woman 
 taken in labour. 
 
 ** He shall follow you directly," said Amine ; " I will 
 now call him up." Amine went upstairs to the room 
 where her father slept, and knocked ; hearing no answer, 
 as usual, she knocked again. 
 
 " My father is not used to sleep in this way," thought 
 Amine, when she found no answer to her second call. She 
 opened the door and went in. To her surprise, her father 
 was not in bed. ** Strange," thought she ; " but I do not 
 recollect having heard his footsteps coming up after he 
 went down to take away the lights." And Amine hastened 
 to the parlour, where, stretched on the sofa, she discovered 
 her father apparently fast asleep ; but to her call he gave 
 no answer. *• Merciful Heaven ! is he dead ? " thought 
 she, approaching the light to her father's face. Yes, it 
 was so ! his eyes were fixed and glazed — his lower jaw had 
 fallen. 
 
 For some minutes. Amine leant against the wall in a 
 state of bewilderment ; her brain whirled ; at last she 
 recovered herself. 
 
 " 'Tis to be proved at once," thought she, as she went 
 up to the table, and looked into the silver cup in which she 
 had mixed the powder — it was empty ! ** The God of 
 Righteousness hath punished him ! " exclaimed Amine ; 
 ** but, O ! that this man should have been my father ! 
 Yes ! it is plain. Frightened at his own wicked, damned 
 intentions, he poured out more wine from the flagon, to 
 blunt his feelings of remorse ; and not knowing that 
 
The Phantom Ship 121 
 
 the powder was still in the cup, he filled it up, and drank 
 himself — the death he meant for another ! For another ! — 
 and for whom ? one wedded to his own daughter ! — ^Philip ! 
 my husband! Wert thou not my father," continued 
 Amine, looking at the dead body, " I would spit upon 
 thee, and curse thee ! but thou art punished, and may God 
 forgive thee ! thou poor, weak, wicked creature ! " 
 
 Amine then left the room, and went upstairs, where she 
 found Philip still fast asleep, and in a profuse perspiration. 
 
 Most women would have awakened their husbands, but 
 Amine thought not of herself; Philip was ill, and Amine 
 would not arouse him to agitate him. She sat down by the 
 side of the bed, and with her hands pressed upon her fore- 
 head, and her elbows resting on her knees, she remained 
 in deep thought until the sun had risen and poured his 
 bright beams through the casement. 
 
 She was roused from her reflections by another summons 
 at the door of the cottage. She hastened down to the 
 entrance, but did not open the door. 
 
 " Mynheer Poots is required immediately," said the girl, 
 who was the messenger. 
 
 ** My good Therese," replied Amine, ** my father has 
 more need of assistance than the poor woman ; for his tra- 
 vail in this world, I fear, is well over. I found him very 
 ill when I went to call him, and he has not been able to 
 quit his bed. I must now entreat you to do my message, 
 and desire Father Seysen to come hither; for my poor 
 father is, I fear, in extremity." 
 
 ** Mercy on me ! " replied Therese. "Is it so ? Fear 
 not but I will do your bidding. Mistress Amine." 
 
 The second knocking had awakened Philip, who felt 
 that he was much better, and his headache had left him. 
 He perceived that Amine had not taken any rest that 
 night, and he was about to expostulate with her, when 
 she at once told him what had occurred. 
 
 " You must dress yourself, Philip," continued she, " and 
 must assist me to carry up his body, and place it in his 
 bed, before the arrival of the priest. God of mercy ! had 
 
122 The Phantom Ship 
 
 I given you that powder, my dearest Philip — but let us not 
 talk about it. Be quick, for Father Seysen will be here 
 soon." 
 
 Philip was soon dressed, and followed Amine down into 
 the parlour. The sun shone bright, and his rays were 
 darted upon the haggard face of the old man, whose fists 
 were clenched, and his tongue fixed between the teeth on 
 one side of his mouth. 
 
 " Alas ! this room appears to be fatal. How many more 
 scenes of horror are to pass within it ? " 
 
 "None, I trust," replied Amine; "this is not, to my 
 mind, the scene of horror. It was when that old man 
 (now called away — and a victim of his own treachery) 
 stood by your bedside, and with every mark of interest 
 and kindness, offered you the cup — that was the scene of 
 horror," said Amine, shuddering — " one which long will 
 haunt me." 
 
 " God forgive him ! as I do," replied Philip, lifting up 
 the body, and carrying it up the stairs to the room which 
 had been occupied by Mynheer Poots. 
 
 " Let it at least be supposed that he died in his bed, 
 and that his death was natural," said Amine. " My pride 
 cannot bear that this should be known, or that I should be 
 pointed at as the daughter of a murderer ! O Philip ! " 
 
 Amine sat down, and burst into tears. 
 
 Her husband was attempting to console her, when 
 Father Seysen knocked at the door. Philip hastened down 
 to open it. 
 
 " Good morning, my son. How is the sufferer ? ** 
 
 " He has ceased to suffer, father." 
 
 " Indeed ! " replied the good priest, with sorrow in 
 his countenance ; " am I then too late ? yet have I not 
 tarried." 
 
 " He went off suddenly, father, in a convulsion," replied 
 Philip, leading the way upstairs. 
 
 Father Seysen looked at the body and perceived that his 
 offices were needless, and then turned to Amine, who had 
 not yet checked her tears. 
 
The Phantom Ship 123 
 
 *' Weep, my child, weep ! for you have cause," said the 
 priest. " The loss of a father*s love must be a severe trial 
 to a dutiful and affectionate child. But yield not too much 
 to your grief, Amine ; you have other duties, other ties, 
 my child — you have your husband." 
 
 " I know it, father," replied Amine ; ** still must I weep, 
 for I was his daughter." 
 
 " Did he not go to bed last night, then, that his clothes 
 are still upon him ? When did he first complain ? " 
 
 ** The last time that I saw him, father," replied Philip, 
 " he came into my room, and gave me some medicine, and 
 then he wished me good-night. Upon a summons to 
 attend a sick-bed, my wife went to call him, and found 
 him speechless." 
 
 "It has been sudden," replied the priest; "but he was 
 an old man, and old men sink at once. Were you with 
 him when he died ? " 
 
 ** I was not, sir," replied Philip ; " before my wife had 
 summoned me and I had dressed myself, he had left this 
 world." 
 
 " I trust, my children, for a better." Amine shuddered. 
 ** Tell me. Amine," continued the priest, ** did he show 
 signs of grace before he died ? for you know full well that 
 he has long been looked on as doubtful in his creed, and 
 little attentive to the rites of our holy church." 
 
 ** There are times, holy father," replied Amine, ** when 
 even a sincere Christian can be excused, even if he give 
 no sign. Look at his clenched hands, witness the agony 
 of death on his face, and could you, in that state, expect a 
 sign?" 
 
 ** Alas ! 'tis but too true, my child ; we must then hope 
 for the best. Kneel with me, my children, and let us offer 
 up a prayer for the soul of the departed." 
 
 Philip and Amine knelt with the priest, who prayed 
 fervently ; and as they rose, they exchanged a glance 
 which fully revealed what was passing in the mind of 
 each. 
 
 " I will send the people to do their offices for the dead. 
 
I 24 The Phantom Ship 
 
 and prepare the body for interment," said Father Seysen ; 
 " but it were as well not to say that he was dead before I 
 arrived, or to let it be supposed that he was called away 
 without receiving the consolations of our holy creed." 
 
 Philip motioned his head in assent as he stood at the 
 foot of the bed, and the priest departed. There had 
 always been a strong feeling against Mynheer Foots in the 
 village ; — his neglect of all religious duties — the doubt 
 whether he was even a member of the church — his avarice 
 and extortion — had created for him a host of enemies; 
 but, at the same time, his great medical skill, which was 
 fully acknowledged, rendered him of importance. Had it 
 been known that his creed (if he had any) was Mahometan, 
 and that he had died in attempting to poison his son-in- 
 law, it is certain that Christian burial would have been 
 refused him, and the finger of scorn would have been 
 pointed at his daughter. But as Father Seysen, when 
 questioned, said, in a mild voice, that " he had departed in 
 peace," it was presumed that Mynheer Foots had died a 
 good Christian, although he had acted little up to the 
 tenets of Christianity during his life. The next day the 
 remains of the old man were consigned to the earth with 
 the usual rites j and Fhilip and Amine were not a little 
 relieved in their minds at everything having passed oiF so 
 quietly. 
 
 It was not until after the funeral had taken place that 
 Philip, in company with Amine, examined the chamber of 
 his father-in-law. The key of the iron chest was found in 
 his pocket ; but Fhilip had not yet looked into this darling 
 repository of the old man. The room was full of bottles 
 and boxes of drugs, all of which were either thrown away, 
 or, if the utility of them was known to Amine, removed to 
 a spare room. His table contained many drawers, which 
 were now examined, and among the heterogeneous contents 
 were many writings in Arabic — probably prescriptions. 
 Boxes and papers were also found, with Arabic characters 
 written upon them ; and in the box which they first took 
 up was a powder similar to that which Mynheer Foots had 
 
The Phantom Ship 125 
 
 given to Amine. There were many articles and writings 
 which made it appear that the old man had dabbled in the 
 occult sciences, as they were practised at that period, and 
 those they hastened to commit to the flames. 
 
 ** Had all these been seen by Father Seysen ! " observed 
 Amine, mournfully. " But here are some printed papers, 
 Philip ! » 
 
 Philip examined them, and found that they were 
 acknowledgments of shares in the Dutch East India 
 Company. 
 
 "No, Amine, these are money, or what is as good— r 
 these are eight shares in the Company's capital, which will 
 yield us a handsome income every year. I had no idea 
 that the old man made such use of his money. I had some 
 intention of doing the same with a part of mine before I 
 went away, instead of allowing it to remain idle." 
 
 The iron chest was now to be examined. When Philip 
 first opened it, he imagined that it contained but little ; 
 for it was large and deep, and appeared to be almost empty; 
 but when he put his hands down to the bottom, he pulled 
 out thirty or forty small bags, the contents of which, 
 instead of being silver guilders, were all coins of gold; 
 there was only one large bag of silver money. But this 
 was not all: several small boxes and packets were also 
 discovered, which, when opened, were found to contain 
 diamonds and other precious stones. When everything 
 was collected, the treasure appeared to be of great value. 
 
 " Amine, my love, you have indeed brought me an un- 
 expected dower," said Philip. 
 
 "You may well say unexpected^'* replied Amine. "These 
 diamonds and jewels my father must have brought with 
 him from Egypt. And yet how penuriously we were 
 living until we came to this cottage ! And with all this 
 treasure he would have poisoned my Philip for more ! 
 God forgive him ! " 
 
 Having counted the gold, which amounted to nearly 
 fifty thousand guilders, the whole was replaced, and they 
 left the room. 
 
126 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " I am a rich man," thought Philip, after Amine had left 
 him 5 ** but of what use are riches to me ? I might pur- 
 chase a ship and be my own captain, but would not the 
 ship be lost ? That certainly does not follow ; but the 
 chances are against the vessel; therefore I will have no 
 ship. But is it right to sail in the vessels of others 
 with this feeling ? — I know not ; this, however, I know, 
 that I have a duty to perform, and that all our lives are in 
 the hands of a kind Providence, which calls us away when 
 he thinks fit. I will place most of my money in the shares 
 of the Company, and if I sail in their vessels, and they 
 come to misfortune by meeting with my poor father, at 
 least I shall be a common sufferer with the rest. And 
 now to make my Amine more comfortable." 
 
 Philip immediately made a great alteration in their style 
 of living. Two female servants were hired : the rooms 
 were more comfortably furnished; and in everything in 
 which his wife's comfort and convenience were concerned, 
 he spared no expense. He wrote to Amsterdam and 
 purchased several shares in the Company's stock. The 
 diamonds and his own money he still left in the hands of 
 Amine. In making these arrangements the two months 
 passed rapidly away, and everything was complete when 
 Philip again received his summons, by letter, to desire 
 that he would join his vessel. Amine would have wished 
 Philip to go out as a passenger instead of going as an 
 officer, but Philip preferred the latter, as otherwise he 
 could give no reason for his voyage to India. 
 
 " I know not why," observed Philip, the evening before 
 his departure, "but I do not feel as I did when I last 
 went away ; I have no foreboding of evil this time." 
 
 ** Nor have I," replied Amine ; ** but I feel as if you 
 would be long away from me, Philip ; and is not that an 
 evil to a fond and anxious wife ? " 
 
 " Yes, love, it is ; but " 
 
 " O yes, I know it is your duty, and you must go," 
 replied Amine, burying her face in his bosom. 
 
 The next day Philip parted from his wife, who behaved 
 
The Phantom Ship 127 
 
 with more fortitude than on their first separation. " All 
 were lost, but he was saved," thought Amine. "I feel 
 that he will return to me. God of Heaven, thy will be 
 done ! " 
 
 Philip soon arrived at Amsterdam •, and having purchased 
 many things which he thought might be advantageous to 
 him in case of accident, to which he now looked forward 
 as almost certain, he embarked on board the Batavia, 
 which was lying at single anchor, and ready for sea. 
 
 Chapter XII 
 
 Philip had not been long on board, ere he found that they 
 were not likely to have a very comfortable passage ; for 
 the Batavia was chartered to convey a large detachment of 
 troops to Ceylon and Java, for the purpose of recruiting 
 and strengthening the Company's forces at those places. 
 She was to quit the fleet off Madagascar, and run direct 
 for the Island of Java ; the number of soldiers on board 
 being presumed sufficient to insure the ship against any 
 attack or accidents from' pirates or enemies' cruisers. The 
 Batavia^ moreover, mounted thirty guns, and had a crew 
 of seventy-five men. Besides military stores, which formed 
 the principal part of her cargo, she had on board a large 
 quantity of specie for the Indian market. The detachment 
 of soldiers was embarking when Philip went on board, 
 and in a few minutes the decks were so crowded that it 
 was hardly possible to move. Philip, who had not yet 
 spoken to the captain, found out the first mate, and 
 immediately entered upon his duty, with which, from his 
 close application to it during his former voyage and 
 passage home, he was much better acquainted than might 
 have been imagined. 
 
 In a short time all traces of hurry and confusion began 
 to disappear, the baggage of the troops was stowed away, 
 and the soldiers having been told off in parties, and 
 
128 The Phantom Ship 
 
 stationed with their messing utensils between the guns 
 of the main deck, room was thus afforded for working 
 the ship. PhiUp showed great activity as well as method 
 in the arrangements proposed, and the captain, during a 
 pause in his own arduous duties, said to him — 
 
 " I thought you were taking it very easy, Mr Vander- 
 decken, in not joining the ship before, but, now you are 
 on board, you are making up for lost time. You have 
 done more during the forenoon than I could have expected. 
 I am glad that you are come, though very sorry you were 
 not here when we were stowing the hold, which, I am 
 afraid, is not arranged quite so well as it might be. 
 Mynheer Struys, the first mate, has had more to do than 
 he could well give attention to." 
 
 ** I am sorry that I should not have been here, sir,'* 
 replied Philip ; " but I came as soon as the Company sent 
 me word." 
 
 " Yes, and as they know that you are a married man, 
 and do not forget that you are a great shareholder, they 
 would not trouble you too soon. I presume you will have 
 the command of a vessel next voyage. In fact, you are 
 certain of it, with the capital you have invested in their 
 funds. I had a conversation with one of the senior 
 accountants on the subject this very morning." 
 
 Philip was not very sorry that his money had been put 
 out to such good interest, as to be the captain of a ship 
 was what he earnestly desired. He replied, that, " he 
 certainly did hope to command a ship after the next 
 voyage, when he trusted that he should feel himself quite 
 competent to the charge." 
 
 "No doubt, no doubt, Mr Vanderdecken. I can see 
 that clearly. You must be very fond of the sea." 
 
 " I am," replied PhiHp ; ** I doubt whether I shall ever 
 give it up." 
 
 ** Never give it up ! You think so now. You are 
 young, active, and full of hope : but you will tire of it by- 
 and-bye, and be glad to lay by for the rest of your days." 
 
 ** How many troops do we embark ? " inquired Philip. 
 
The Phantom Ship 129 
 
 " Two hundred and forty-five rank and file, and six 
 officers. Poor fellows ! there are but few of them will 
 ever return : nay, more than one-half will not see another 
 birthday. It is a dreadful climate. I have landed three 
 hundred men at that horrid hole, and in six months, even 
 before I had sailed, there were not one hundred left 
 alive." 
 
 ** It is almost murder to send them there," observed 
 Philip. 
 
 ** Psha ! they must die somewhere, and if they die a little 
 sooner, what matter ? Life is a commodity to be bought 
 and sold like any other. We send so much manufactured 
 goods and so much money to barter for Indian commodi- 
 ties. We also send out so much life, and it gives a good 
 return to the Company." 
 
 " But not to the poor soldiers, I am afraid." 
 
 " No ; the Company buy it cheap and sell it dear," re- 
 plied the captain, who walked forward. 
 
 True, thought Philip, they do purchase human life cheap, 
 and make a rare profit of it, for without these poor fellows 
 how could they hold their possessions in spite of native 
 and foreign enemies ? For what a paltry and cheap annuity 
 do these men sell their lives ? For what a miserable 
 pittance do they dare all the horrors of a most deadly 
 climate, without a chance, a hope of return to their native 
 land, where they might haply repair their exhausted 
 energies, and take a new lease of life ! Good God ! if 
 these men may be thus heartlessly sacrificed to Mammon, 
 why should I feel remorse if, in the fulfilment of a sacred 
 duty imposed on me by Him who deals with us as He 
 thinks meet, a few mortals perish ? Not a sparrow falls 
 to the ground without His knowledge, and it is for Him 
 to sacrifice or save. I am but the creature of His will, and 
 I but follow my duty, — but obey the commands of One 
 whose ways are inscrutable. Still, if for my sake this ship 
 be also doomed, I cannot but wish that I had been appointed 
 to some other, in which the waste of human life might have 
 been less. 
 
 P.S. I 
 
30 
 
 The Phantom Ship 
 
 It was not until a week after Philip arrived on board that 
 the Batavia and the remainder of the fleet were ready for 
 sea. 
 
 It would be difficult to analyse the feelings of Philip 
 Vanderdecken on this his second embarkation. His mind 
 was so continually directed to the object of his voyage, 
 that although he attended to his religious duty, yet the 
 business of life passed before him as a dream. Assured of 
 again meeting with the Phantom Ship, and almost equally 
 assured that the meeting would be followed by some un- 
 toward event, in all probability by the sacrifice of those 
 who sailed with him, his thoughts preyed upon him, and 
 wore him down to a shadow. He hardly ever spoke, 
 except in the execution of his duty. He felt like a criminal ; 
 as one who, by embarking with them, had doomed all 
 around him to death, disaster, and peril ; and when one 
 talked of his wife, and another of his children — when they 
 would indulge in anticipations, and canvass happy projects, 
 Philip would feel sick at heart, and would rise from the 
 table and hasten to the solitude of the deck. At one time 
 he would try to persuade himself that his senses had been 
 worked upon in some moment of excitement, that he was the 
 victim of an illusion ; at another he would call to mind all 
 the past — he would feel its terrible reality — and then the 
 thought would suggest itself that with this supernatural 
 vision Heaven had nothing to do; that it was but the 
 work and jugglery of Satan. But then the relic — by such 
 means the devil would not have worked. A few days 
 after he had sailed, he bitterly repented that he had not 
 stated the whole of his circumstances to Father Seysen, 
 and taken his advice upon the propriety of following up 
 his search ; but it was now too late ; already was the good 
 ship Batavia more than a thousand miles from the port of 
 Amsterdam, and his duty, whatever it might be, must be 
 fulfilled. 
 
 As the fleet approached the Cape, his anxiety increased 
 to such a degree that it was remarked by all who were on 
 board. The captain and officers commanding the troops 
 
The Phantom Ship 131 
 
 embarked, who all felt interested in him, vainly attempted 
 to learn the cause of his anxiety. Philip would plead ill- 
 health J and his haggard countenance and sunken eyes 
 silently proved that he was under acute suffering. The 
 major part of the night he passed on deck, straining his 
 eyes in every quarter, and watching each change in the 
 horizon, in anticipation of the appearance of the Phantom 
 Ship ; and it was not till the day dawned that he sought a 
 perturbed repose in his cabin. After a favourable passage, 
 the fleet anchored to refresh at Table Bay, and Philip felt 
 some small relief, that up to the present time the super- 
 natural visitation had not again occurred. 
 
 As soon as the fleet had watered, they again made sail, 
 and again did Philip's agitation become perceptible. With 
 a favouring breeze, however, they rounded the Cape, 
 passed by Madagascar, and arrived in the Indian Seas, when 
 the Batavia parted company with the rest of the fleet, 
 which steered to Cambroon and Ceylon. " And now," 
 thought Philip, " will the Phantom Ship make her appear- 
 ance. It has only waited till we should be left without a 
 consort to assist us in distress. But the Batavia sailed in 
 a smooth sea and under a cloudless sky, and nothing was 
 seen. In a few weeks she arrived off Java, and, previous 
 to entering the splendid roads of Batavia, hove-to for the 
 night. This was the last night they would be under sail, 
 and Philip stirred not from the deck, but walked to and fro, 
 anxiously waiting for the morning. The morning broke — 
 the sun rose in splendour, and the Batavia steered into the 
 roads. Before noon she was at anchor, and Philip, with 
 his mind relieved, hastened down to his cabin, and took 
 that repose which he so much required. 
 
 He awoke refreshed, for a great weight had been taken 
 off his mind. *'It does not follow, then," thought he, 
 ** that because I am on board the vessel therefore the crew 
 are doomed to perish •, it does not follow that the Phantom 
 Ship is to appear because I seek her. If so, I have no 
 further weight upon my conscience. I seek her, it is true, 
 and wish to meet with her -, I stand, however, but the 
 
132 The Phantom Ship 
 
 same chance as others ; and it is no way certain that^ 
 because I seek, I am sure to find. That she brings 
 disaster upon all she meets, may be true, but not that I 
 bring with me the disaster of meeting her. Heaven I 
 thank thee ! Now I can prosecute my search without 
 remorse." 
 
 Philip, restored to composure by these reflections, went 
 on deck. The debarkation of the troops was already 
 taking place, for they were as anxious to be relieved from 
 their long confinement as the seamen were to regain a little 
 space and comfort. He surveyed the scene. The town 
 of Batavia lay about one mile from them, low on the 
 beach ; from behind it rose a lofty chain of mountains, 
 brilliant with verdure, and, here and there, peopled with 
 country seats, belonging to the residents, delightfully em- 
 bosomed in forests of trees. The panorama was beautiful 5. 
 the vegetation was luxuriant, and, from its vivid green, 
 refreshing to the eye. Near to the town lay large and 
 small vessels, a forest of masts ; the water in the bay was 
 of a bright blue, and rippled to a soft breeze ; here and 
 there small islets (like tufts of fresh verdure) broke the 
 uniformity of the water-line ; even the town itself was 
 pleasing to the eye, the white colour of the houses being 
 opposed to the dark foliage of the trees, which grew in 
 the gardens, and lined the streets. 
 
 " Can it be possible," observed Philip to the captain of 
 the Batavia, who stood by him, " that this beautiful spot 
 can be so unhealthy ? I should form a very different 
 opinion from its appearance." 
 
 " Even," replied the captain, "as the venomous snakes 
 of the country start up from among its flowers, so does 
 death stalk about in this beautiful and luxuriant landscape. 
 Do you feel better. Mynheer Vanderdecken ? " 
 
 " Much better," replied Philip. 
 
 *' Still, in your enfeebled state, I should recommend 
 you to go on shore." 
 
 "I shall avail myself of your permission, with thanks. 
 How long shall we stay here ? " 
 
The Phantom Ship 133 
 
 " Not long, as we are ordered to run back. Our cargo 
 is all ready for us, and will be on board soon after we have 
 discharged." 
 
 Philip took the advice of his captain ; he had no difficulty 
 in finding himself received by a hospitable merchant, who 
 had a house at some distance from the town, and in a 
 healthy situation. There he remained two months, during 
 which he re-established his health, and then re-embarked 
 a few days previous to the ship being ready for sea. The 
 return voyage was fortunate, and in four months from the 
 date of their quitting Batavia, they found themselves 
 abreast of St Helena ; for vessels, at that period, generally 
 made what is called the eastern passage, running down 
 the coast of Africa, instead of keeping towards the 
 American shores. Again they had passed the Cape with- 
 out meeting with the Phantom Ship ; and Philip was not 
 only in excellent health, but in good spirits. As they lay 
 becalmed, with the island in sight, they observed a boat 
 pulling towards them, and in the course of three hours she 
 arrived on board. The crew were much exhausted from 
 having been two days in the boat, during which time they 
 had never ceased pulling to gain the island. They stated 
 themselves to be the crew of a small Dutch Indiaman, 
 which had foundered at sea two days before; she had 
 started one of her planks, and filled so rapidly that the 
 men had hardly time to save themselves. They consisted 
 of the captain, mates, and twenty men belonging to the 
 ship, and an old Portuguese Catholic priest, who had been 
 sent home by the Dutch governor, for having opposed the 
 Dutch interests in the Island of Japan. He had lived with 
 the natives, and been secreted by them for some time, as 
 the Japanese government "was equally desirous of capturing 
 him, with the intention of taking away his life. Eventually 
 he found himself obliged to throw himself into the arms of 
 the Dutch, as being the less cruel of his enemies. 
 
 The Dutch government decided that he should be sent 
 away from the country -, and he had, in consequence, 
 been put on board of the Indiaman for a passage home. 
 
134 The Phantom Ship 
 
 By the report of the captain and crew, one person only- 
 had been lost; but he was a person of consequence, 
 having for many years held the situation of president in 
 the Dutch factory at Japan. He was returning to Holland 
 with the riches which he had amassed. By the evidence 
 of the captain and crew, he had insisted, after he was 
 put into the boat, upon going back to the ship to secure 
 a casket of immense value, containing diamonds and other 
 precious stones, which he had forgotten; they added, 
 that while they were waiting for him the ship suddenly 
 plunged her bow-sprit under, and went down head fore- 
 most, and that it was with difficulty they had themselves 
 escaped. They had waited for some time to ascertain 
 if he would rise again to the surface, but he appeared no 
 more. 
 
 " I knew that something would happen," observed the 
 captain of the sunken vessel, after he had been sitting a 
 short time in the cabin with Philip and the captain of the 
 Batavia ; " we saw the Fiend or Devil's Ship, as they call 
 her, but three days before." 
 
 " What ! the Flying Dutchman, as they name her ? " 
 asked Philip. 
 
 "Yes; that, I believe, is the name they give her," 
 replied the captain. " I have often heard of her ; but it 
 never was my fate to fall in with her before, and I hope 
 it never will be again ; for I am a ruined man, and must 
 begin the world afresh." 
 
 " I have heard of that vessel," observed the captain of 
 the Batavia. ** Pray, how did she appear to you ? " 
 
 ** Why, the fact is, I did not see anything but the loom 
 of her hull," replied the other. ** It was very strange ; 
 the night was fine, and the heavens clear ; we were under 
 top-gallant sails, for I do not carry on during the night, 
 or else we might have put the royals on her ; she would 
 have carried them with the breeze. I had turned in, when 
 about two o'clock in the morning the mate called me to 
 come on deck. I demanded what was the matter, and he 
 replied he could hardly tell, but that the men were much 
 
The Phantom Ship 135 
 
 frightened, and that there was a Ghost Ship, as the sailors 
 termed it, in sight. I went on deck ; all the horizon 
 was clear, but on our quarter was a sort of fog, round 
 as a ball, and not more than two cables' length from us. 
 We were going about four knots and a half free, and yet 
 we could not escape from this mist. * Look there,' said 
 the mate. * Why, what the devil can it be ? ' said I, 
 rubbing my eyes. *No banks up to windward, and yet 
 a fog in the middle of a clear sky, with a fresh breeze, 
 and with water all around it ; ' for you see the fog did 
 not cover more than a dozen cables' length, as we could 
 perceive by the horizon on each side of it. * Hark, sir ! ' 
 said the mate — * they are speaking again.' * Speaking ! ' 
 said I, and I listened; and from out this ball of fog I 
 heard voices. At last, one cried out, * Keep a sharp look- 
 out forward, d'ye hear ? ' * Ay, ay, sir ! ' replied another 
 voice. * Ship on the starboard bow, sir.' * Very well ; 
 strike the bell there forward.' And then we heard the 
 bell toll. * It must be a vessel,' said I to the mate. * Not 
 of this world, sir,' replied he. * Hark ! ' * A gun ready 
 forward.' * Ay, ay, sir ! ' was now heard out of the fog, 
 which appeared to near us ; * all ready, sir.' * Fire ! ' 
 The report of the gun sounded on our ears like thunder, 
 and then " 
 
 " Well, and then ? " said the captain of the Batavia, 
 breathless. 
 
 " And then," replied the other captain, solemnly, " the 
 fog and all disappeared as if by magic, the whole horizon 
 was clear, and there was nothing to be seen." 
 
 " Is it possible ? " 
 
 " There are twenty men on deck to tell the story," 
 replied the captain. " And the old Catholic priest to 
 boot, for he stood by me the whole time I was on deck. 
 The men said that some accident would happen; and in 
 the morning watch, on sounding the well, we found four 
 feet water. We took to the pumps, but it gained upon us, 
 and we went down, as I have told you. The mate says 
 that the vessel is well known — it is called the Flying 
 JDutchmanP 
 
136 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Philip made no remarks at the time, but he was much 
 pleased at what he had heard. ** If," thought he, ** the 
 Phantom Ship of my poor father appears to others as well 
 as to me, and they are sufferers, my being on board can 
 make no difference. I do but take my chance of falling in 
 with her, and do not risk the lives of those who sail in the 
 same vessel with me. Now my mind is relieved, and I can 
 prosecute my search with a quiet conscience." 
 
 The next day Philip took an opportunity of making the 
 acquaintance of the Catholic priest, who spoke Dutch and 
 other languages as well as he did Portuguese. He was a 
 venerable old man, apparently about sixty years of age, 
 with a white flowing beard, mild in his demeanour, and 
 very pleasing in his conversation. 
 
 When Philip kept his watch that night, the old man 
 walked with him, and it was then, after a long conver- 
 sation, that Philip confided to him that he was of the 
 Catholic persuasion. 
 
 ** Indeed, my son, that is unusual in a Hollander." 
 
 ** It is so," replied Philip ; " nor is it known on board — 
 not that I am ashamed of my religion, but I wish to avoid 
 discussion." 
 
 " You are prudent, my son. Alas ! if the reformed 
 religion produces no better fruit than what I have wit- 
 nessed in the East, it is little better than idolatry." 
 
 ** Tell me, father," said Philip — " they talk of a miracu- 
 lous vision — of a ship not manned by mortal men. Did 
 you see it ? " 
 
 "I saw what others saw," replied the priest; "and 
 certainly, as far as my senses would enable me to judge, 
 the appearance was most unusual — I may say supernatural ; 
 but I had heard of this Phantom Ship before, and moreover 
 that its appearance was the precursor of disaster. So did 
 it prove in our case, although, indeed, we had one on 
 board, now no more, whose weight of guilt was more than 
 sufficient to sink any vessel; one, the swallowing up of 
 whom, with all that wealth from which he anticipated 
 such enjoyment in his own country, has manifested that 
 
The Phantom Ship 137 
 
 the Almighty will, even in this world, sometimes wreak 
 just and awful retribution on those who have merited His 
 vengeance." 
 
 " You refer to the Dutch President who went down 
 with the ship when it sank." 
 
 "I do ; but the tale of that man's crime is long ; to- 
 morrow night I will walk with you, and narrate the whole. 
 Peace be with you, my son, and good-night." 
 
 The weather continued fine, and the Batavia hove-to in 
 the evening with the intention of anchoring the next 
 morning in the roadstead of St Helena. Philip, when he 
 went on deck to keep the middle watch, found the old 
 priest at the gangway waiting for him. In the ship all 
 was quiet; the men slumbered between the guns, and 
 Philip, with his new acquaintance, went aft, and seating 
 themselves on a hencoop, the priest commenced as follows: — 
 
 ** You are not, perhaps, aware that the Portuguese, 
 although anxious to secure for themselves a country 
 discovered by their enterprise and courage, and the 
 possession of which, I fear, has cost them many crimes, 
 have still never lost sight of one point dear to all good 
 Catholics — that of spreading wide the true faith, and 
 planting the banner of Christ in the regions of idolatry. 
 Some of our countrymen having been wrecked on the 
 coast, we were made acquainted with the islands of Japan \ 
 and seven years afterwards, our holy and blessed St 
 Francis, now with God, landed on the Island of Ximo, 
 where he remained for two years and five months, during 
 which he preached our religion and made many converts. 
 He afterwards embarked for China, his original destination, 
 but was not permitted to arrive there; he died on his 
 passage, and thus closed his pure and holy life. After his 
 death, notwithstanding the many obstacles thrown in our 
 way by the priests of idolatry, and the persecutions with 
 which they occasionally visited the members of our faith, 
 the converts to our holy religion increased greatly in the 
 Japanese islands. The religion spread fast, and many 
 thousands worshipped the true God. 
 
138 The Phantom Ship 
 
 <* After a time, the Dutch formed a settlement at Japan, 
 and when they found that the Japanese Christians around 
 the factories would deal only with the Portuguese, in 
 whom they had confidence, they became our enemies ; and 
 the man of whom we have spoken, and who at that period 
 was the head of the Dutch Factory, determined, in his lust 
 for gold, to make the Christian religion a source of suspicion 
 to the emperor of the country, and thus to ruin the Portu- 
 guese and their adherents. Such, my son, was the conduct 
 of one who professed to have embraced the reformed 
 religion as being of greater purity than our own. 
 
 " There was a. Japanese lord of great wealth and 
 influence who lived near us, and who, with two of his 
 sons, had embraced Christianity, and had been baptised. 
 He had two other sons, who lived at the emperor's court. 
 This lord had made us a present of a house for a college 
 and school of instruction : on his death, however, his two 
 sons at court, who were idolaters, insisted upon our 
 quitting this property. We refused, and thus afforded 
 the Dutch princij^al an opportunity of inflaming these 
 young noblemen against us : by this means he persuaded 
 the Japanese emperor that the Portuguese and Christians 
 had formed a conspiracy against his life and throne ; for, 
 be it observed, that when a Dutchman was asked if 
 he was a Christian, he would reply, * No ; I am a 
 Hollander.' 
 
 " The emperor, believing in this conspiracy, gave an 
 immediate order for the extirpation of the Portuguese, and 
 then of all the Japanese who had embraced the Christian 
 faith. He raised an army for this purpose, and gave the 
 command of it to the young noblemen I have mentioned, 
 the sons of the lord who had given us the college. The 
 Christians, aware that resistance was their only chance, 
 flew to arms, and chose as their generals the other two 
 sons of the Japanese lord, who, with their father, had 
 embraced Christianity. Thus were the two armies 
 commanded by four brothers, two on the one side and two 
 on the other. 
 
The Phantom Ship 139 
 
 **The Christian army amounted to more than 40,000 
 men, but of this the emperor was not aware, and he sent 
 a force of about 25,000 to conquer and exterminate them. 
 The armies met, and after an obstinate combat (for the 
 Japanese are very brave) the victory was on the part of 
 the Christians, and, with the exception of a few who 
 saved themselves in the boats, the army of the emperor 
 was cut to pieces. 
 
 *' This victory was the occasion of making more converts, 
 and our army was soon increased to upwards of 50,000 
 men. On the other hand, the emperor, perceiving that 
 his troops had been destroyed, ordered new levies and 
 raised a force of 150,000 men, giving directions to his 
 generals to give no quarter to the Christians, with the 
 exception of the two young lords who commanded them, 
 whom he wished to secure alive, that he might put them 
 to death by slow torture. All offers of accommodation 
 were refused, and the emperor took the field in person. 
 The armies again met, and on the first day's battle the 
 victory was on the part of the Christians ; still they had 
 to lament the loss of one of their generals, who was 
 wounded and taken prisoner, and, no quarter having been 
 given, their loss was severe. 
 
 " The second day's combat was fatal to the Christians. 
 Their general was killed ; they were overpowered by 
 numbers, and fell to a man. The emperor then attacked 
 the camp in the rear, and put to the sword every old man, 
 woman, and child. On the field of battle, in the camp, 
 and by subsequent torture, more than 60,000 Christians 
 perished. But this was not all ; a rigorous search for 
 Christians was made throughout the islands for many 
 years ; and they were, when found, put to death by the 
 most cruel torture. It was not until fifteen years ago 
 that Christianity was entirely rooted out of the Japanese 
 empire, and during a persecution of somewhat more than 
 sixteen years, it is supposed that upwards of 400,000 
 Christians were destroyed ; and all this slaughter, my son, 
 was occasioned by the falsehood and avarice of that man 
 
140 
 
 The Phantom Ship 
 
 who met his just punishment but a few days ago. The 
 Dutch company, pleased with his conduct, which procured 
 for them such advantages, continued him for many years 
 as the president of their factory at Japan. He was a 
 young man when he first went there, but his hair was 
 grey when he thought of returning to his own country. 
 He had amassed immense wealth, — immense, indeed, must 
 it have been to have satisfied avarice such as his ! All has 
 now perished with him, and he has been summoned to his 
 account. Reflect a little, my son. Is it not better to 
 follow up our path of duty, to eschew the riches and 
 pleasures of this world, and, at our summons hence, to feel 
 that we have hopes of bliss hereafter ? " 
 
 " Most true, holy father," replied Philip, musing. 
 
 "I have but a few years to live," continued the old 
 man, "and God knows I shall quit this world without 
 reluctance." 
 
 ** And so could I," replied Philip. 
 
 " Touy my son ! — no. You are young, and should be 
 full of hopes. You have still to do your duty in that 
 station to which it shall please God to call you." 
 
 " I know that I have a duty to perform," replied Philip. 
 " Father, the night air is too keen for one so aged as you. 
 Retire to your bed, and leave me to my watch and my 
 own thoughts." 
 
 " I will, my son ! may Heaven guard you ! Take an 
 old man's blessing. Good-night." 
 
 ** Good-night," replied Philip, glad to be alone. " Shall 
 I confess all to him ? " thought Philip. ** I feel I could 
 confess to him. — But no. I would not to Father Seysen, — 
 why to him ? I should put myself in his power, and he 
 
 might order me -No, no ! my secret is my own. I 
 
 need no advisers." And Philip pulled out the relic from 
 his bosom, and put it reverently to his lips. 
 
 The Batavia waited a few days at St Helena, and then 
 continued her voyage. In six weeks Philip again found 
 himself at anchor in the Zuyder Zee, and having the 
 captain's permission, he immediately set off for his own 
 
The Phantom Ship 141 
 
 home, taking with him the old Portuguese priest Mathias, 
 with whom he had formed a great intimacy, and to whom 
 he had offered his protection for the time he might wish 
 to remain in the Low Countries. 
 
 Chapter XIII 
 
 ** Far be it from me to wish to annoy you, my son," said 
 Father Mathias, as with difficulty he kept pace with the 
 rapid strides of Philip, who was now within a quarter of 
 a mile of his home; "but still recollect that this is but 
 a transitory world, and that much time has elapsed since 
 you quitted this spot. For that reason I would fain desire 
 you, if possible, to check these bounding aspirations after 
 happiness, these joyful anticipations in which you have 
 indulged since we quitted the vessel. I hope and trust 
 in the mercy of God, that all will be right, and that in 
 a few minutes you will be in the arms of your much-loved 
 wife : but still, in proportion as you allow your hopes to 
 be raised, so will you inevitably have them crushed should 
 disappointment cross your path. At Flushing we were 
 told that there has been a dreadful visitation in this land, 
 and death may not have spared even one so young and 
 fair." 
 
 " Let us haste on, father," replied Philip. " What 
 you say is true, and suspense becomes most dreadful." 
 
 Philip increased his speed, leaving the old man to follow 
 him : he arrived at the bridge with its wooden gate. It 
 was then about seven o'clock in the morning, for they 
 had crossed the Scheldt at the dawn of day. 
 
 Philip observed that the lower shutters were still closed. 
 
 " They might have been up and stirring before this," 
 thought he, as he put his hand to the latch of the door. 
 It was not fastened. Philip entered! there was a light 
 burning in the kitchen; he pushed open the door, and 
 beheld a maid-servant leaning back in her chair in a 
 
142 
 
 The Phantom Ship 
 
 profound sleep. Before he had time to go in and awaken 
 her, he heard a voice at the top of the stairs, saying, 
 ** Marie, is that the doctor ?" 
 
 PhiUp waited no longer; in three bounds he was on 
 the landing-place above, and brushing by the person who 
 had spoken, he opened the door of Amine's room. 
 
 A floating wick in a tumbler of oil gave but a faint 
 and glimmering light ; the curtains of the bed were 
 drawn, and by the side of it was kneeling a figure that 
 was well known to Philip— that of Father Seysen. Philip 
 recoiled; the blood retreated to his heart; he could not 
 speak : panting for breath, he supported himself against 
 the wall, and at last vented his agony of feeling by a deep 
 groan, which aroused the priest, who turned his head, 
 and perceiving who it was, rose from his knees, and 
 extended his hand in silence. 
 
 " She is dead, then ! " at last exclaimed Philip. 
 
 " No, my son, not dead ; there is yet hope. The crisis 
 is at hand ; in one more hour her fate will be decided : 
 then either will she be restored to your arms, or follow 
 the many hundreds whom this fatal epidemic has consigned 
 to the tomb." 
 
 Father Seysen then led Philip to the side of the bed, 
 and withdrew the curtain. Amine lay insensible, but 
 breathing heavily; her eyes were closed. Philip seized 
 her burning hand, knelt down, pressed it to his lips, 
 and burst into a paroxysm of tears. As soon as he had 
 become somewhat composed. Father Seysen persuaded 
 him to rise and sit with him by the side of the bed. 
 
 " This is a melancholy sight to witness at your return, 
 Philip," said he ; " and to you who are so ardent, so im- 
 petuous, it must be doubly so ; but God's will be done. 
 Remember there is yet hope — not strong hope, I grant, 
 but still there is hope, foi so told me the medical man 
 who has attended her, and who will return, I expect, in 
 a few minutes. Her disease is a typhus fever, which 
 has swept off whole families within these last two months, 
 and still rages violently ; fortunate, indeed, is the house 
 
The Phantom Ship 143 
 
 which has to mourn but one victim. I would that you 
 had not arrived just now, for it is a disease easily com- 
 municated. Many have fled from the country for security. 
 To add to our misfortunes, we have suffered from the 
 want of medical advice, for physician and patient have 
 been swept away together." 
 
 The door was now slowly opened, and a tall, dark man, 
 in a brown cloak, holding to his nose a sponge saturated 
 with vinegar, entered the room. He bowed his head to 
 Philip and the priest, and then went to the bedside. For 
 a minute he held his fingers to the pulse of the sufferer, 
 then laying down her arm, he put his hand to her fore- 
 head, and covered her up with the bedclothes. He 
 handed to Philip the sponge and vinegar, making a sign 
 that he should use it, and beckoned Father Seysen out 
 of the room. 
 
 In a minute the priest returned. " I have received his 
 directions, my son ; he thinks that she may be saved. 
 The clothes must be kept on her, and replaced if 
 she should throw them off; but everything will 
 depend upon quiet and calm after she recovers her 
 senses." 
 
 " Surely we can promise her that," replied Philip. 
 
 "It is not the knowledge of your return, or even the 
 sight of you, which alarms me. Joy seldom kills, even 
 when the shock is great, but there are other causes for 
 uneasiness." 
 
 " What are they, holy father ? " 
 
 " Philip, it is now thirteen days that Amine has raved, 
 and during that period I have seldom quitted her but to 
 perform the duties of my office to others who required 
 it. I have been afraid to leave her, Philip, for in her 
 ravings she has told such a tale, even unconnected as it 
 has been, as has thrilled my soul with horror. It evidently 
 has long lain heavily on her mind, and must retard her 
 recovery. Philip Vanderdecken, you may remember that 
 I would once have had the secret from you — the secret 
 which forced your mother to her tomb, and which now 
 
144 ^^^ Phantom Ship 
 
 may send your young wife to follow her, for it is evident 
 that she knows all. Is it not true ? " 
 
 " She does know all," replied Philip, mournfully. 
 
 ** And she has in her delirium told all. Nay, I trust 
 she has told more than all j but of that we will not 
 speak now : watch her, Philip. I will return in half an 
 hour, for by that time, the doctor tells me, the symptoms 
 will decide whether she will return to reason, or be lost 
 to you for ever." 
 
 Philip whispered to the priest that he had been accom- 
 panied by Father Mathias, who was to remain as his 
 guest, and requested him to explain the circumstances 
 of his present position to him, and see that he was at- 
 tended to. Father Seysen then quitted the room, when 
 Philip sat down by the bedside, and drew back the 
 curtain. 
 
 Perhaps there is no situation in life so agonising to the 
 feelings as that in which Philip was now placed. His 
 joyful emotions when expecting to embrace in health 
 and beauty the object of his warmest affections, and of 
 his continual thought during his long absence, suddenly 
 checked by disappointment, anxiety, and grief, at finding 
 her lying emaciated, changed, corrupted with disease — her 
 mind overthrown — her eyes unconscious of his presence 
 — her existence hanging by a single hair — her frame 
 prostrate before the King of Terrors who hovers over 
 her with uplifted dart, and longs for the fiat which 
 should permit him to pierce his unconscious victim. 
 
 " Alas ! " thought Philip, ** is it thus we meet. Amine ? 
 Truly did Father Mathias advise me, as I hurried so 
 impetuously along, not (as I fondly thought) to happiness, 
 but to misery. God of Heaven ! be merciful and forgive 
 me. If I have loved this angelic creature of Thy forma- 
 tion, even more than I have Thee — spare her — good 
 Heaven, spare her — or I am lost for ever." 
 
 Philip covered up his face, and remained for some time 
 in prayer. He then bent over his Amine, and impressed 
 a luss upon her burning lips. They were burning, but 
 
The Phantom Ship 145 
 
 still tl-ere was moisture upon them, and Philip perceived 
 that there was also moisture on her forehead. He felt her 
 hand, and the palm of it was moist ; and carefully cover- 
 ing her with the bedclothes, he watched her with anxiety 
 and hope. 
 
 In a quarter of an hour he had the delight of perceiving 
 that Amine was in a profuse perspiration ; gradually her 
 breathing became less heavy, and instead of the passive 
 state in which she had remained, she moved, and became 
 restless. Philip watched, and replaced the clothes as she 
 threw them off, until she at last appeared to have fallen 
 into a profound and sweet sleep. Shortly after, Father 
 Seysen and the physician made their appearance. Philip 
 stated, in few words, what had occurred. The doctor 
 went to the bedside, and in half a minute returned. 
 
 " Your wife is spared to you. Mynheer, but it is not 
 advisable that she should see you so unexpectedly; the 
 shock may be too great in her weak state ; she must be 
 allowed to sleep as long as possible ; on her awaking she 
 will have returned to reason. You must leave her then to 
 Father Seysen." 
 
 " May I not remain in the room until she wakes ? I 
 will then hasten away unobserved." 
 
 "That will be useless; the disease is contagious, and 
 you have been here too long already. Remain below ; you 
 must change your clothes, and see that they prepare a bed 
 for her in another room, to which she must be transported 
 as soon as you think she can bear it ; and then let these 
 windows be thrown open, that the room may be properly 
 ventilated. It will not do to have a wife just rescued from 
 the jaws of death run the risk of falling a sacrifice to the 
 attentions necessary to a sick husband." 
 
 Philip perceived the prudence of this advice, and quitting 
 the room with the medical man, he went and changed his 
 clothes, and then joined Father Mathias, whom he found 
 in the parlour below. 
 
 " You were right, father," said Philip, throwing himself 
 on the sofa. 
 
 p.s. K 
 
146 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " I am old and suspicious, you are young and buoyant, 
 Philip ; but I trust all may yet be well." 
 
 ** I trust so too," replied Philip. He then remained 
 silent and absorbed in thought, for now that the imminent 
 danger was over, he was reflecting upon what Father 
 Seysen had communicated to him relative to Amine's having 
 revealed the secret whilst in a state of mental aberration. 
 The priest perceiving that his mind was occupied, did not 
 interrupt him. An hour had thus passed, when Father 
 Seysen entered the room. 
 
 ** Return thanks to Heaven, my son. Amine has 
 awakened, and is perfectly sensible and collected. There 
 is now little doubt of her recovery. She has taken the 
 restorative ordered by the doctor, though she was so 
 anxious to repose once more, that she could hardly be 
 persuaded to swallow it. She is now again fast asleep, 
 and watched by one of the maidens, and in all probability 
 will not move for many hours ; but every moment of such 
 sleep is precious, and she must not be disturbed. I will 
 now see to some refreshment, which must be needful to us 
 all. Philip, you have not introduced me to your companion, 
 who, I perceive, is of my own calling." 
 
 " Forgive me, sir," replied Philip ; " you will have great 
 pleasure in making acquaintance with Father Mathias, who 
 has promised to reside with me, I trust, for some time. I 
 will leave you together, and see to the breakfast being 
 prepared, for the delay of which I trust Father Mathias 
 will accept my apology." 
 
 Philip then left the room, and went into the kitchen. 
 Having ordered what was requisite, to be taken into the 
 parlour, he put on his hat and walked out of the house. 
 He could not eat ; his mind was in a state of confusion ; 
 the events of the morning had been too harassing and 
 exciting, and he felt as if the fresh air was necessary to his 
 existence. 
 
 As he proceeded, careless in which direction, he met 
 many with whom he had been acquainted, and from whom 
 he had received condolence at his supposed bereavement, 
 
The Phantom Ship 147 
 
 and congratulations when they learnt from him that the 
 danger was over ; and from them he also learnt how fatal 
 had been the pestilence. 
 
 Not one-third of the inhabitants of Terneuse and the 
 surrounding country remained alive, and those who had 
 recovered were in a state of exhaustion which prevented 
 them from returning to their accustomed occupations. 
 They had combated disease, but remained the prey of 
 misery and want ; and Philip mentally vowed that he would 
 appropriate all his savings to the relief of those around 
 him. It was not until more than two hours had passed 
 away that Philip returned to the cottage. 
 
 On his arrival he found that Amine still slumbered, and 
 the two priests were in conversation below. 
 
 " My son," said Father Seysen, " let us now have a little 
 explanation. I have had a long conference with this good 
 Father, who hath much interested me with his account of 
 the extension of our holy religion among the Pagans. He 
 hath communicated to me much to rejoice at and much to 
 grieve for ; but, among other questions put to him, I have 
 (in consequence of what I have learnt during the mental 
 alienation of your wife) interrogated him upon the point of 
 a supernatural appearance of a vessel in the eastern seas. 
 You observe, Philip, that your secret is known to me, or I 
 could not have put that question. To my surprise, he hath 
 stated a visitation of the kind to which he was eye-witness, 
 and which cannot reasonably be accounted for, except by 
 supernatural interposition. A strange and certainly most 
 awful visitation ! Philip, would it not be better (instead 
 of leaving me in a maze of doubt) that you now confided 
 to us both all the facts connected with this strange history, 
 so that we may ponder on them, and give you the benefit 
 of the advice of those who are older than yourself, and 
 who, by their calling may be able to decide more correctly 
 whether this supernatural power has been exercised by a 
 good or evil intelligence ? " 
 
 " The holy Father speaks well, Philip Vanderdecken," 
 observed Mathias. 
 
148 The Phantom Ship 
 
 "If it be the work of the Almighty, to whom should 
 you confide and by whom should you be guided, but by 
 those who do His service on this earth ? If of the Evil 
 One, to whom but to those whose duty and wish it is to 
 counteract his baneful influence ? And reflect, Philip, 
 that this secret may sit heavily on the mind of your 
 cherished wife, and may bow her to the grave, as it did 
 your (I trust) sainted mother. "With you, and supported 
 by your presence, she may bear it well ; but, recollect how 
 many are the lonely days and nights that she must pass 
 during your absence, and how much she must require the 
 consolation and help of others. A secret like this must be 
 as a gnawing worm, and, strong as she may be in courage, 
 must shorten her existence, but for the support and the 
 balm she may receive from the ministers of our faith. It 
 was cruel and selfish of you, Philip, to leave her, a lone 
 woman, to bear up against your absence, and at the same 
 time oppressed with so fatal a knowledge." 
 
 " You have convinced me, holy Father," replied Philips 
 " I feel that I should, before this, have made you ac- 
 quainted with this strange history. I will now state the 
 whole of the circumstances which have occurred, but with 
 little hope your advice can help me, in a case so difficult, 
 and in a duty so peremptory, yet so perplexing." 
 
 Philip then entered into a minute detail of all that had 
 passed from the few days previous to his mother's death, 
 until the present time, and when he had concluded, he 
 observed — 
 
 " You see. Father, that I have bound myself by a solemn: 
 vow — that that vow has been recorded and accepted ; and 
 it appears to me that I have nothing now to do but to 
 follow my peculiar destiny." 
 
 " My son, you have told us strange and startling things 
 — things not of this world — if you are not deceived. 
 Leave us now. Father Mathias and I will consult upon 
 this serious matter, and when we are agreed, you shall 
 know our decision." 
 
 Philip went upstairs to see Amine j she was still in a 
 
The Phantom Ship 149 
 
 deep sleep : he dismissed the servant, and watched by the 
 bedside. For nearly two hours did he remain there, when 
 he was summoned down to meet the two priests. 
 
 ** We have had a long conversation, my son," said 
 Father Seysen, " upon this strange, and perhaps super- 
 natural occurrence. I say perhaps, for I would have re- 
 jected the frenzied communications of your mother, as the 
 imaginings of a heated brain ; and for the same reason 
 I should have been equally inclined to suppose that the 
 high state of excitement that you were in at the time of 
 her death may have disordered your intellect ; but, as 
 Father Mathias positively asserts, that a strange, if not 
 supernatural, appearance of a vessel did take place, on his 
 passage home, and which appearance tallies with and 
 corroborates the legend, if so I may call it, to which you 
 have given evidence ; I say that it is not impossible but 
 that it is supernatural." 
 
 " Recollect that the same appearance of the Phantom 
 Ship has been permitted to me and to many others," replied 
 Philip. 
 
 " Yes," replied Father Seysen ; " but who is there alive 
 of those who saw it but yourself ? But that is of little 
 importance. We will admit that the whole affair is not 
 the work of man, but of a superior intelligence." 
 
 ** Superior, indeed ! " replied Philip. " It is the work 
 of Heaven ! " 
 
 ** That is a point not so easily admitted ; there is 
 another power as well as that which is divine — that of the 
 devil ! — the arch-enemy of mankind ! But as that power, 
 inferior to the power of God, cannot act without His 
 permission, we may indirectly admit that it is the will of 
 Heaven that such signs and portents should be allowed to 
 be given on certain occasions." 
 
 ** Then our opinions are the same, good Father." 
 
 **Nay, not exactly, my son. Elymas, the sorcerer, was 
 permitted to practise his arts — gained from the devil — 
 that it might be proved, by his overthrow and blindness, 
 how inferior was his master to the Divine Ruler ; but it 
 
150 The Phantom Ship 
 
 does not therefore follow that sorcery generally was 
 permitted. In this instance it may be true that the Evil 
 One has been permitted to exercise his power over the 
 captain and crew of that ship, and, as a warning against 
 such heavy offences, the supernatural appearance of the 
 vessel may be permitted. So far we are justifiable in 
 believing. But the great questions are, first, whether it be 
 your father who is thus doomed ? and, secondly, how far 
 you are necessitated to follow up this mad pursuit, which, 
 it appears to me — although it may end in your destruction 
 — cannot possibly be the means of rescuing your father 
 from his state of unhallowed abeyance ? Do you under- 
 stand me, Philip ? " 
 
 ** I certainly understand what you would say. Father ; 
 but " 
 
 ** Answer me not yet. It is the opinion of this holy 
 father as well as of myself, that, allowing the facts to be 
 as you suppose, the revelations made to you are not from 
 on high, but the suggestions of the devil, to lead you into 
 danger and ultimately to death ; for if it were your task, 
 as you suppose, why did not the vessel appear on this 
 last voyage, and how can you (allowing that you met her 
 fifty times) have communication with that, or with those 
 which are but phantoms and shadows, things not of 
 this world ? Now what we propose is, that you should 
 spend a proportion of the money left by your father, in 
 masses for the repose of his soul, which your mother, 
 in other circumstances, would certainly have done; and 
 that having so done, you should remain quietly on shore 
 until some new sign should be given to you which may 
 warrant our supposing that you are really chosen for this 
 strange pursuit ? " 
 
 ** But my oath, Father — my recorded vow ?" 
 
 " From that, my son, the holy Church hath power to 
 absolve you ; and that absolution you shall receive. You 
 have put yourself into our hands, and by our decision you 
 must be guided. If there be wrong, it is we, and not 
 you, who are responsible j but, at present, let us say no 
 
The Phantom Ship 151 
 
 more. I will now go up, and so soon as your wife awakens, 
 prepare her for your meeting." 
 
 When Father Seysen had quitted the room, Father 
 Mathias debated the matter with Philip. A long dis- 
 cussion ensued, in which similar arguments were made 
 use of by the priest ; and Philip, although not convinced, 
 was, at least, doubtful and perplexed. He left the cottage. 
 
 " A new sign — a corroborative sign," thought Philip ; 
 ** surely there have been signs and wonders enough. 
 Still it may be true that masses for my father's soul may 
 relieve him from his state of torture. At all events, if 
 they decide for me, I am not to blame. Well then, let 
 us wait for a new sign of the Divine will — if so it must 
 be;" and Philip walked on, occasionally thinking on 
 the arguments of Father Seysen, and oftener thinking of 
 Amine. 
 
 It was now evening, and the sun was fast descending. 
 Philip wandered on, until at last he arrived at the very 
 spot where he had knelt down and pronounced his solemn 
 vow. He recognised it -, he looked at the distant hills. 
 The sun was just at the same height ; the whole scene, 
 the place, and the time were before him. Again Philip 
 knelt down, took the relic from his bosom and kissed it. 
 He watched the sun ; he bowed himself to the earth. 
 He waited for a sign; but the sun sank down and the 
 veil of night spread over the landscape. There was no 
 sign; and Philip rose and walked home towards the 
 cottage, more inclined than before to follow the sugges- 
 tions of Father Seysen. 
 
 On his return, Philip went softly upstairs and entered 
 the room of Amine, whom he found awake and in 
 conversation with the priests. The curtain was closed, 
 and he was not perceived. With a beating heart he 
 remained near the wall at the head of the bed. 
 
 " Reason to believe that my husband has arrived ! " said 
 Amine, in a faint voice. ** Oh tell me, why so ? " 
 
 " His ship is arrived, we know ; and one who had seen 
 her said that all were well." 
 
152 The Phantom Ship 
 
 *' And why is he not here, then ? Who should bring 
 the news of his return but himself? Father Seysen, 
 either he has not arrived or he is here — I know he must 
 be, if he is safe and well. I know my Philip too well. 
 Say ! is he not here ? Fear not, if you say yes j but if 
 you say no, you kill me ! " 
 
 "He is here, Amine," replied Father Seysen — "here 
 and well." 
 
 ** O God ! I thank you -, but where is he ? If he is 
 here, he must be in this room, or else you deceive me. 
 Oh, this suspense is death ! " 
 
 "I am here," cried Philip, opening the curtains. 
 
 Amine rose with a shriek, held out her arms, and then 
 fell senseless back. In a few seconds, however, she was 
 restored, and proved the truth of the good Father's 
 assertion, " that joy does not kill." 
 
 We must now pass over the few days during which 
 Philip watched the couch of his Amine, who rapidly re- 
 gained her strength. As soon as she was well enough 
 to enter upon the subject, Philip narrated all that had 
 passed since his departure; the confession which he had 
 made to Father Seysen, and the result. Amine, too glad 
 that Philip should remain with her, added her persuasions 
 to those of the priests, and, for some little time, Philip 
 talked no more of going to sea. 
 
 Chapter XIV 
 
 Six weeks had flown away, and Amine, restored to health, 
 wandered over the country, hanging on the arm of her 
 adored Philip, or nestled by his side in their comfortable 
 home. Father Mathias still remained their guest ; the 
 masses for the repose of the soul of Vanderdecken had 
 been paid for, and more money had been confided to the 
 care of Father Seysen to relieve the sufferings of the 
 afflicted poor. It may be easily supposed that one of the 
 
The Phantom Ship 153 
 
 chief topics of conversation between Philip and Amine 
 was the decision of the two priests relative to the conduct 
 of Philip. He had been absolved from his oath, but, at 
 the same time that he submitted to his clerical advisers, 
 he was by no means satisfied. His love for Amine, her 
 wishes for his remaining at home, certainly added weight 
 to the fiat of Father Seysen; but, although he in con- 
 sequence obeyed it more willingly, his doubts of the 
 propriety of his conduct remained the same. The argu- 
 ments of Amine, who, now that she was supported by 
 the opinion of the priests, had become opposed to Philip's 
 departure ; even her caresses, with which those arguments 
 were mingled, were effective but for the moment. No 
 sooner was Philip left to himself, no sooner was the 
 question, for a time, dismissed, than he felt an inward 
 accusation that he was neglecting a sacred duty. Amine 
 perceived how often the cloud was upon his brow ; she 
 knew too well the cause, and constantly did she recommence 
 her arguments and caresses, until Philip forgot that there 
 was aught but Amine in the world. 
 
 One morning, as they were seated upon a green bank 
 picking the flowers that blossomed round them, and 
 tossing them away in pure listlessness, Amine took the 
 opportunity that she had often waited for, to enter upon 
 a subject hitherto unmentioned. 
 
 ** Philip," said she, " do you believe in dreams ? think 
 you that we may have supernatural communications by 
 such means ? " 
 
 " Of course we may," replied Philip ; " we have proof 
 abundant of it in the holy writings." 
 
 "Why, then, do you not satisfy your scruples by a 
 dream ? " 
 
 " My dearest Amine, dreams come unbidden ; we can- 
 not command or prevent them " 
 
 " We can command them, Philip ; say that you would 
 dream upon the subject nearest to your heart, and you 
 shall!'' 
 
 "I shall?" 
 
154 The Phantom Ship 
 
 *' Yes ! I have that power, Philip, although I have not 
 spoken of it. I had it from my mother, with much more 
 that of late I have never thought of. You know, Philip, 
 I never say that which is not. I tell you, that, if you 
 choose, you shall dream upon it." 
 
 '* And to what good, Amine ? If you have power 
 to make me dream, that power must be from some- 
 where." 
 
 " It is, of course : there are agencies you little think of, 
 which, in my country, are still called into use. I have a 
 charm, Philip, which never fails." 
 
 " A charm. Amine ! do you, then, deal in sorcery ? for 
 such powers cannot be from Heaven." 
 
 " I cannot tell. I only know the power is given." 
 
 " It must be from the devil. Amine." 
 
 " And why so, Philip ? May I not use the argument of 
 your own priests, who say, * that the power of the devil is 
 only permitted to be used by Divine intelligence, and that 
 it cannot be used without that permission ? ' Allow it then 
 to be sorcery, or what you please, unless by Heaven per- 
 mitted, it would fail. But I cannot see why we should 
 suppose that it is from an evil source. We ask for a 
 warning in a dream to guide our conduct in doubtful 
 circumstances. Surely the evil one would rather lead us 
 wrong than right ! " 
 
 " Amine, we may be warned in a dream, as the patriarchs 
 were of old ; but to use mystic or unholy charms to procure 
 a vision, is making a compact with the devil." 
 
 ** Which compact the devil could not fulfil if not per- 
 mitted by a higher power. Philip, your reasoning is false. 
 We are told that, by certain means, duly observed, we may 
 procure the dreams we wish. Our observance of these 
 means is certainly the least we can attend to, to prove our 
 sincerity. Forgive me, Philip, but are not observances as 
 necessary in your religion — which I have embraced ? Are 
 we not told that the omission of the mere ceremony of 
 water to the infant will turn all future chance of happiness 
 to misery eternal ? " 
 
The Phantom Ship 155 
 
 Philip answered not for some time. "I am afraid. 
 Amine," said he, at last, in a low tone ; ** I " 
 
 " I fear nothing, Philip, when my intentions are good," 
 replied Amine. " I follow certain means to obtain an end. 
 What is that end ? It is to find out (if possible) what may 
 be the will of Heaven in this perplexing case. If it 
 should be through the agency of the devil — what 
 then ? He becomes my servant, and not my master ; he 
 is permitted by Heaven to act against himself;" and 
 Amine's eyes darted fire, as she thus boldly expressed 
 herself. 
 
 **Did your mother often exercise her art?" inquired 
 Philip, after a pause. 
 
 "Not to my knowledge ; but it was said that she was 
 most expert. She died young (as you know), or I should 
 have known much more. Think you, Philip, that this 
 world is solely peopled by such dross as we are ? — things 
 of clay — perishable and corruptible ? Lords over beasts — 
 and ourselves but little better. Have you not, from your 
 own sacred writings, repeated acknowledgments and proofs 
 of higher intelligences mixing up with mankind, and acting 
 here below ? Why should what was then, not be now ! 
 and what more harm is there to apply for their aid now, 
 than a few thousand years ago ? Why should you suppose 
 that they were permitted on the earth then — and not per- 
 mitted now ? What has become of them ? Have they 
 perished ? have they been ordered back — to where — to 
 heaven ? If to heaven — the world and mankind have been 
 left to the mercy of the devil and his agents. Do you 
 suppose that we, poor mortals, have been thus abandoned ? 
 I tell you plainly, I think not. We no longer have the 
 communications with those intelligences that we once had, 
 because, as we become more enlightened, we become more 
 proud, and seek them not ; but that they still exist — a host 
 of good against a host of evil, invisibly opposing each 
 other — is my conviction. But, tell me, Philip, do you in 
 your conscience believe that all that has been revealed 
 to you is a mere dream of the imagination ? " 
 
156 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " I do not believe so, Amine : you know well I wish I 
 could." 
 
 " Then is my reasoning proved : for if such communi- 
 cations can be made to you, why cannot others ? You 
 cannot tell by what agency ; your priests say it is that of 
 the evil one -, you think it is from on high. By the same 
 rule, who is to decide from whence the dream shall 
 come ? " 
 
 " 'Tis true. Amine ; but are you certain of your power ? " 
 
 ** Certain of this : that if it pleases superior intelligence 
 to communicate with you, that communication may be relied 
 upon. Either you will not dream, but pass away the hours 
 in deep sleep, or what you dream will be connected with 
 the question at issue." 
 
 " Then, Amine, I have made up my mind — I will dream : 
 for at present my mind is racked by contending and per- 
 plexing doubts. I would know whether I am right or 
 wrong. This night your art shall be employed." 
 
 ** Not this night, nor yet to-morrow night, Philip. 
 Think you one moment that, in proposing this, I serve you 
 against my own wishes ? I feel as if the dream will decide 
 against me, and that you will be commanded to return to 
 your duty 5 for I tell you honestly, I think not with the 
 priests ; but I am your wife, Philip, and it is my duty that 
 you should not be deceived. Having the means, as I 
 suppose, to decide your conduct, I offer them. Promise 
 me that, if I do this, you will grant me a favour which I 
 shall ask us my reward." 
 
 "It is promised. Amine, without its being known," 
 replied Philip, rising from the turf; **and now let us go 
 home." 
 
 We observed that Philip, previous to his sailing in the 
 Bataviay had invested a large proportion of his funds in 
 Dutch East India stock: the interest of the money was 
 more than sufficient for the wants of Amine, and, on his 
 return, he found that the funds left in her charge had 
 accumulated. After paying to Father Seysen the sums 
 for the masses, and for the relief of the poor, there was 
 
The Phantom Ship 157 
 
 a considerable residue, and Philip had employed this in 
 the purchase of more shares in the India stock. 
 
 The subject of their conversation was not renewed. 
 Philip was rather averse to Amine practising those mystical 
 arts, which, if known to the priests, would have obtained 
 for her, in all probability, the anathema of the Church. 
 He could not but admire the boldness and power of 
 Amine's reasonings, but still he was averse to reduce 
 them into practice. The third day had passed away, 
 and no more had been said upon the subject. 
 
 Philip retired to bed, and was soon fast asleep ; but 
 Amine slept not. So soon as she was convinced that 
 Philip would not be awakened, she slipped from the bed 
 and dressed herself. She left the room, and in a quarter 
 of an hour returned, bringing in her hand a small brazier 
 of lighted charcoal, and two small pieces of parchment, 
 rolled up and fixed by a knot to the centre of a narrow 
 fillet. They exactly resembled the philacteries that were 
 once worn by the Jewish nation, and were similarly 
 applied. One of them she gently bound upon the fore- 
 head of her husband, and the other upon his left arm. 
 She threw perfumes into the brazier, and as the form of 
 her husband was becoming indistinct from the smoke 
 which filled the room, she muttered a few sentences, 
 waved over him a small sprig of some shrub which she 
 held in her white hand, and then closing the curtains, 
 and removing the brazier she sat down by the side of 
 the bed. 
 
 *' If there be harm," thought Amine, " at least the deed 
 is not his — 'tis mine ; they cannot say that he has practised 
 arts that are unlawful and forbidden by his priests. On 
 my head be it ! " And there was a contemptuous curl on 
 Amine's beautiful arched lip, which did not say much for 
 her devotion to her new creed. 
 
 Morning dawned, and Philip still slumbered. "'Tis 
 enough," said Amine, who had been watching the rising 
 of the sun, as she beheld his upper limb appear above 
 the horizon. Again she waved her arm over Philip, 
 
158 The Phantom Ship 
 
 holding the sprig in her hand; and cried, "Philip, 
 awake ! " 
 
 Philip started up, opened his eyes, and shut them again 
 to avoid the glare of the broad daylight, rested upon his 
 elbow, and appeared to be collecting his thoughts. 
 
 " Where am I ? " exclaimed he. "In my own bed ? 
 Yes I " He passed his hand across his forehead, and 
 felt the scroll. "What is this?" continued he, pulling 
 it off, and examining it. " And Amine, where is she ? 
 Good Heavens, what a dream ! Another ? " cried he, 
 perceiving the scroll tied to his arm. "I see it now. 
 Amine, this is your doing." And Philip threw himself 
 down, and buried his face in the pillow. 
 
 Amine, in the meantime, had slipped into bed, and had 
 taken her place by Philip's side. " Sleep, Philip, dear ! 
 sleep ! " said she, putting her arms round him ; " we will 
 talk when we wake again." 
 
 " Are you there. Amine ? " replied PhiHp, confused. 
 
 ** I thought I was alone ; I have dreamed " And 
 
 Philip again was fast asleep before he could complete his 
 sentence. Amine, too, tired with watching, slumbered 
 and was happy. 
 
 Father Mathias had to wait a long while for his 
 breakfast that morning ; it was not till two hours later 
 than usual that Philip and Amine made their appearance. 
 
 " Welcome, my children," said he ; " you are late." 
 
 " We are. Father," replied Amine ; "for Philip slept, 
 and I watched till break of day." 
 
 " He hath not been ill, I trust," replied the priest. 
 
 " No, not ill *, but I could not sleep," replied Amine. 
 
 " Then didst thou do well to pass the night — as I 
 doubt not thou hast done, my child — in holy watchings." 
 
 Philip shuddered ; he knew that the watching, had its 
 cause been known, would have been, in the priest's 
 opinion, anything but holy. Amine quickly replied — 
 
 '*I have, indeed, communed with higher powers, as far 
 as my poor intellect hath been able." 
 
 The blessing of our holy Church upon thee, my 
 
 <( 
 
The Phantom Ship 159 
 
 child ! " said the old man, putting his hand upon her 
 head ; " and on thee too, Philip." 
 
 Philip, confused, sat down to the table ; Amine was 
 collected as ever. She spoke little, it is true, and appeared 
 to commune with her own thoughts. 
 
 As soon as the repast was finished, the old priest took 
 up his breviary, and Amine beckoning to Philip, they went 
 out together. They walked in silence until they arrived 
 at the green spot where Amine had first proposed to him 
 that she should use her mystic power. She sat down, and 
 Philip, fully aware of her purpose, took his seat by her 
 in silence. 
 
 "PhiJip," said Amine, taking his hand, and looking 
 earnestly in his face, "last night you dreamed." 
 
 " I did, indeed. Amine," replied Philip, gravely. 
 
 " Tell me your dream ; for it will be for me to 
 expound it." 
 
 ** I fear it needs but little exposition. Amine. All 
 I would know is, from what intelligence the dream has 
 been received ? " 
 
 " Tell me your dream," replied Amine, calmly. 
 
 ** I thought," replied Philip, mournfully, " that I was 
 sailing as captain of a vessel round the Cape : the sea was 
 calm and the breeze light ; I was abaft ; the sun went 
 down, and the stars were more than usually brilliant ; the 
 weather was warm, and I lay down on my cloak, with my 
 face to the heavens, watching the gems twinkling in the 
 sky and the occasionally falling meteors. I thought that 
 I fell asleep, and awoke with a sensation as if sinking 
 down. I looked around me ; the masts, the rigging, the 
 hull of the vessel — all had disappeared, and I was floating 
 by myself upon a large, beautifully shaped shell on the 
 wide waste of waters. I was alarmed, and afraid to move, 
 lest I should overturn my frail bark and perish. At last, 
 I perceived the fore-part of the shell pressed down, as if a 
 weight were hanging to it ; and soon afterwards a small 
 white hand, which grasped it. I remained motionless, and 
 ■would have called out that my little bark would sink, but 
 
i6o The Phantom Ship 
 
 I could not. Gradually a figure raised itself from the 
 waters, and leaned with both arms over .the fore-part of the 
 shell, where I first had seen but the hand. It was a 
 female, in form beautiful to excess ; the skin was white 
 as driven snow ; her long loose hair covered her, and the 
 ends floated in the water; her arms were rounded and 
 like ivory : she said, in a soft sweet voice — 
 
 ** * Philip Vanderdecken, what do you fear ? Have you 
 not a charmed life ? ' 
 
 " * I know not,' replied I, ' whether my life be charmed 
 or not ; but this I know, that it is in danger.' 
 
 " In danger ! ' replied she ; * it might have been in 
 danger when you were trusting to the frail works of men, 
 which the waves love to rend to fragments — your good 
 ships, as you call them, which but float about upon 
 sufferance ; but where can be the danger when in a 
 mermaid's shell, which the mountain wave respects, and 
 upon which the cresting surge dare not throw its spray ? 
 Philip Vanderdecken, you have come to seek your father ? *" 
 
 " * I have,' replied I ; * is it not the will of Heaven ? ' 
 
 " * It is your destiny — and destiny rules all above and 
 below. Shall we seek him together ? This shell is 
 mine ; you know not how to navigate it ; shall I assist 
 you ? ' 
 
 *'*Willit bear us both?' 
 
 " ' You will see,' replied she, laughing, as she sank 
 down from the fore-part of the shell, and immediately 
 afterwards appeared at the side, which was not more than 
 three inches above the water. To my alarm, she raised 
 herself up, and sat upon the edge, but her weight 
 appeared to have no effect. As soon as she was seated in 
 this way — for her feet still remained in the water — the 
 shell moved rapidly along, and each moment increased 
 its speed, with no other propelling power than that of her 
 volition. 
 
 " ' Do you fear now, Philip Vanderdecken ? ' 
 
 " ' No ! ' rephed I. 
 
 ** She passed her hands across her forehead, threw 
 
The Phantom Ship i6i 
 
 aside the tresses which had partly concealed her face, and 
 said — 
 
 " * Then look at me.* 
 
 " I looked, Amine, and I beheld you ! " 
 
 '* Me ! " observed Amine, with a smile upon her lips. 
 
 " Yes, Amine, it was you. I called you by your name, 
 and threw my arms round you. I felt that I could remain 
 with you and sail about the world for ever." 
 
 " Proceed, Philip," said Amine, calmly. 
 
 ** I thought we ran thousands and thousands of miles — 
 we passed by beautiful islands, set like gems on the ocean 
 bed ; at one time bounding against the rippling current, at 
 others close to the shore — skimming on the murmuring 
 wave which rippled on the sand, whilst the cocoa-tree 
 on the beach waved to the cooling breeze." 
 
 ** ' It is not in smooth seas that your father must be 
 sought,' said she, * we must try elsewhere.' 
 
 ** By degrees the waves rose, until at last they were 
 raging in their fury, and the shell was tossed by the 
 tumultuous waters ; but still not a drop entered, and we 
 sailed in security over billows which would have swallowed 
 up the proudest vesseh 
 
 " * Do you fear now, Philip ? ' said you to me. 
 
 *' * No,' replied I ; * with you. Amine, I fear nothing.' 
 
 " * We are now off the Cape again,' said she ; * and here 
 you may find your father. Let us look well round us, for 
 if we meet a ship it must be his. None but the Phantom 
 Ship could swim in a gale like this.' 
 
 ** Away we flew over the mountainous waves — skim- 
 ming from crest to crest between them, our little bark 
 sometimes wholly out of the water ; now east, now west, 
 north, south, in every quarter of the compass, changing 
 our course each minute. We passed over hundreds of 
 miles : at last we saw a vessel, tossed by the furious 
 gale. 
 
 " * There,' cried she, pointing with her finger, * there is 
 your father's vessel, Philip.* 
 
 " Rapidly did we approach — they saw us from on board, 
 
 P.S. L 
 
1 62 The Phantom Ship 
 
 and brought the vessel to the wind. We were alongside 
 — the gangway was clearing away — for though no boat 
 could have boarded, our shell was safe. I looked up. I 
 saw my father. Amine ! Yes, saw him, and heard him as 
 he gave his orders. I pulled the relic from my bosom, 
 and held it out to him. He smiled, as he stood on the 
 gunnel, holding on by the main shrouds. I was just rising 
 to mount on board, for they had handed to me the man- 
 ropes, when there was a loud yell, and a man jumped from 
 the gangway into the shell. You shrieked, slipped from 
 the side, and disappeared under the wave, and in a moment 
 the shell, guided by the man who had taken your place, 
 flew away from the vessel with the rapidity of thought. 
 I felt a deadly chill pervade my frame. I turned round to 
 look at my new companion — it was the Pilot Schriften ! — 
 the one-eyed wretch who was drowned when we were 
 wrecked in Table Bay ! 
 
 " * No ! no ! not yet ! ' cried he. 
 
 " In an agony of despair and rage I hurled him off his 
 seat on the shell, and he floated on the wild waters. 
 
 " * Philip Vanderdecken,' said he, as he swam, * we shall 
 meet again ! ' 
 
 " I turned away my head in disgust, when a wave filled 
 my bark, and down it sank. I was struggling under the 
 water, sinking still deeper and deeper, but without pain, 
 when I awoke. 
 
 " Now, Amine," said Philip, after a pause, " what think 
 you of my dream ? " 
 
 " Does it not point out that I am your friend, Philip, 
 and that the Pilot Schriften is your enemy ? " 
 
 " I grant it ; but he is dead." 
 
 " Is that so certain ? " 
 
 '*He hardly could have escaped without my know- 
 ledge." 
 
 '* That is true, but the dream would imply otherwise. 
 Philip, it is my opinion that the only way in which this 
 dream is to be expounded is — that you remain on shore for 
 the present. The advice is that of the priests. In either 
 
The Phantom Ship 163 
 
 case you require some further intimation. In your dream, 
 /was your safe guide — be guided now by me again." 
 
 " Be it so, Amine. If your strange art be in opposition 
 to our holy faith, you expound the dream in conformity 
 with the advice of its ministers." 
 
 *' I do. And now, Philip, let us dismiss the subject 
 from our thoughts. Should the time come, your Amine 
 will not persuade you from your duty ; but recollect, you 
 have promised to grant one favour when I ask it." 
 
 " I have : say, then. Amine, what may be your wish ? " 
 
 " O ! nothing at present. I have no wish on earth but 
 what is gratified. Have I not you, dear Philip ? " replied 
 Amine, fondly throwing herself on her husband's shoulder. 
 
 Chapter XV 
 
 It was about three months after this conversation that 
 Amine and Philip were again seated upon the mossy bank 
 which we have mentioned, and which had become their 
 favourite resort. Father Mathias had contracted a great 
 intimacy with Father Seysen, and the two priests were 
 almost as inseparable as were Philip and Amine. Having 
 determined to wait a summons previous to Philip's again 
 entering upon his strange and fearful task ; and, happy in 
 the possession of each other, the subject was seldom re- 
 vived. Philip, who had, on his return, expressed his wish 
 to the Directors of the Company for immediate employ- 
 ment, and, if possible, to have the command of a vessel, 
 had, since that period, taken no further steps, nor had any 
 communication with Amsterdam. 
 
 " I am fond of this bank, Philip," said Amine ; " I 
 appear to have formed an intimacy with it. It was here, 
 if you recollect, that we debated the subject of the law- 
 fulness of inducing dreams ; and it was here, dear Philip, 
 that you told me your dream, and that I expounded it." 
 
 ** You did so. Amine ; but if you ask the opinion of 
 
164 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Father Seysen, you will find that he would give rather a 
 strong decision against you — he would call it heretical and 
 damnable." 
 
 ** Let him, if he pleases. I have no objection to tell 
 him." 
 
 " I pray not. Amine j let the secret remain with our- 
 selves only." 
 
 " Think you Father Mathias would blame me ? " 
 
 ** I certainly do." 
 
 **Well, I do not; there is a kindness and liberality 
 about the old man that I admire, I should like to argue 
 the question with him." 
 
 As Amine spoke, Philip felt something touch his shoulder, 
 and a sudden chill ran through his frame. In a moment 
 his ideas reverted to the probable cause : he turned round 
 his head, and, to his amazement, beheld the (supposed to 
 be drowned) mate of the Ter Schillings the one-eyed 
 Schriften, who stood behind him, with a letter in his hand. 
 The sudden appearance of this malignant wretch induced 
 Philip to exclaim, ** Merciful heaven ! is it possible .'' " 
 
 Amine, who had turned her head round at the exclama- 
 tion of Philip, covered up her face, and burst into tears. 
 It was not fear that caused this unusual emotion on her 
 part, but the conviction that her husband was never to be 
 at rest but in the grave. 
 
 ** Philip Vanderdecken," said Schriften, "he! he! I've 
 a letter for you — it is from the Company." 
 
 Philip took the letter, but, previous to opening it, he 
 fixed his eyes upon Schriften. **I thought," said he, 
 " that you were drowned when the ship was wrecked in 
 False Bay. How did you escape ? " 
 
 "How did I escape ?" replied Schriften. "Allow me 
 to ask how did you escape ? " 
 
 " I was thrown up by the waves," replied Philip j 
 *< but " 
 
 "But," interrupted Schriften, "he! he! the waves 
 ought not to have thrown me up." 
 
 " And why not, pray ? I did not say that." 
 
 i 
 
The Phantom Ship 165 
 
 ** No ! but I presume you wish it had been so j but, on 
 the contrary, I escaped in the same way that you did — I 
 was thrown up by the waves — he ! he ! but I can't wait 
 here. I have done my bidding." 
 
 " Stop," replied Philip; answer me one question. ** Do 
 you sail in the same vessel with me this time ? " 
 
 " I'd rather be excused," replied Schriften ; " I am not 
 looking for the Phantom Ship, Mynheer Vanderdecken ; " 
 and, with this reply, the little man turned round and went 
 away at a rapid pace. 
 
 " Is not this a summons. Amine ? " said Philip, after a 
 pause, still holding the letter in his hand, with the seal 
 unbroken. 
 
 " I will not deny it, dearest Philip. It is most surely 
 so ; the hateful messenger appears to have risen from the 
 grave that he might deliver it. Forgive me, Philip ; but I 
 was taken by surprise. I will not again annoy you with a 
 woman's weakness." 
 
 **My poor Amine," replied Philip, mournfully. "Alas! 
 why did I not perform my pilgrimage alone ? It was 
 selfish of me to link you with so much wretchedness, and 
 join you with me in bearing the fardel of never-ending 
 anxiety and suspense." 
 
 And who should bear it with you, my dearest Philip, if 
 it is not the wife of your bosom ? You little know my 
 heart if you think I shrink from the duty. No, Philip, it is 
 a pleasure, even in its most acute pangs ; for I consider 
 that I am, by partaking with, relieving you of a portion of 
 your sorrow, and I feel proud that I am the wife of one 
 who has been selected to be so peculiarly tried. But, 
 dearest, no more of this. You must read the letter." 
 
 Philip did not answer. He broke the seal, and found 
 that the letter intimated to him that he was appointed as 
 first mate to the Froiu Katerina, a vessel which sailed with 
 the next fleet ; and requesting he would join as quickly as 
 possible, as she would soon be ready to receive her cargo. 
 The letter which was from the secretary, further informed 
 him that, after this voyage, he might be certain of having 
 
1 66 The Phantom Ship 
 
 the command of a vessel as captain, upon conditions which 
 would be explained when he called upon the Board. 
 
 " I thought, Philip, that you had requested the command 
 of a vessel for this voyage," observed Amine, mournfully. 
 
 " I did," replied Philip ; ** but not having followed up 
 my application, it appears not to have been attended to. It 
 has been my own fault." 
 
 " And now it is too late ? " 
 
 ** Yes, dearest, most assuredly so : but it matters not ; 
 I would as willingly, perhaps rather, sail this voyage as 
 first mate." 
 
 " Philip, I may as well speak now. That I am dis- 
 appointed, I must confess ; I fully expected that you would 
 have had the command of a vessel, and you may remember 
 that I exacted a promise from you, on this very bank upon 
 which we now sit, at the time that you told me your 
 dream. That promise I shall still exact, and I now tell 
 you what I had intended to ask. It was, my dear Philip, 
 permission to sail with you. With you, I care for nothing. 
 I can be happy under every privation or danger ; but to be 
 left alone for so long, brooding over my painful thoughts, 
 devoured by suspense, impatient, restless, and incapable of 
 applying to any one thing — that, dear Philip, is the height 
 of misery, and that is what I feel when you are absent. 
 Recollect, I have your promise, Philip. As captain, you 
 have the means of receiving your wife on board. I am 
 bitterly disappointed in being left this time ; do, therefore, 
 to a certain degree, console me by promising that I shall 
 sail with you next voyage, if Heaven permit your return." 
 
 "I promise it. Amine, since you are so earnest. I can 
 refuse you nothing ; but I have a foreboding that yours 
 and my happiness will be wrecked for ever I am not a 
 visionary, but it does appear to me that, strangely mixed 
 up as I am, at once with this world and the next, some 
 little portion of futurity is opened to me. I have given 
 my promise, Amine, but from it I would fain be released." 
 
 " And if ill do come, Philip, it is our destiny. Who can 
 avert fate ? " 
 
The Phantom Ship 167 
 
 ** Amine, we are free agents, and to a certain extent are 
 permitted to direct our own destinies." 
 
 " Ay, so would Father Seysen fain have made me believe; 
 but what he said in support of his assertion was to me 
 incomprehensible. And yet he said that it was a part of 
 the Catholic faith. It may be so — I am unable to under- 
 stand many other points. I wish your faith were made 
 more simple. As yet the good man — for good he really is 
 — has only led me into doubt." 
 
 " Passing through doubt, you will arrive at conviction, 
 Amine." 
 
 '* Perhaps so," replied Amine ; " but it appears to me 
 that I am as yet but on the outset of my journey. But 
 come, Philip, let us return. You must to Amsterdam, 
 and I will go with you. After your labours of the day, at 
 least until you sail, your Amine's smiles must still enliven 
 you. Is it not so ? " 
 
 " Yes, dearest, I would have proposed it. I wonder 
 much how Schriften could come here. I did not see his 
 body it is certain, but his escape is to me miraculous. 
 Why did he not appear when saved ? where could he have 
 been ? What think you. Amine ? " 
 
 " What I have long thought, Philip. He is a ghoul 
 with an evil eye, permitted for some cause to walk the 
 earth in human form ; and, is, certainly, in some way, 
 connected with your strange destiny. If it requires any- 
 thing to convince me of the truth of all that has passed, it 
 is his appearance — the wretched Afrit ! Oh, that I had 
 my mother's powers ! — but I forget ; it displeases you, 
 Philip, that I ever talk of such things, and I am silent." 
 
 Philip replied not ; and absorbed in their own medita- 
 tions they walked back in silence to the cottage. Although 
 Philip had made up his own mind, he immediately sent the 
 Portuguese priest to summon Father Seysen, that he might 
 communicate with them and take their opinion as to the 
 summons he had received. Having entered into a fresh 
 detail of the supposed death of Schriften, and his reappear- 
 ance as a messenger, he then left the two priests to consult 
 
1 68 The Phantom Ship 
 
 together, and went upstairs to Amine. It was more than 
 two hours before Philip was called down, and Father 
 Seysen appeared to be in a state of great perplexity. 
 
 " My son," said he, " we are much perplexed. We 
 had hoped that our ideas upon this strange communication 
 were correct, and that, allowing all that you have obtained 
 from your mother and have seen yourself to have been no 
 deception, still that it was the work of the evil one ; and, 
 if so, our prayers and masses would have destroyed this 
 power. We advised you to wait another summons, and 
 you have received it. The letter itself is of course nothing, 
 but the reappearance of the bearer of the letter is the 
 question to be considered. Tell me, Philip, what is your 
 opinion on this point ? It is possible he might have been 
 saved — why not as well as yourself ? " 
 
 "I acknowledge the possibility. Father," replied Philip; 
 ** he may have been cast on shore and have wandered in 
 another direction. It is possible, although anything but 
 probable ; but since you ask me my opinion, I must say 
 candidly that I consider he is no earthly messenger — nay, 
 I am sure of it. That he is mysteriously connected with 
 my destiny is certain. But who he is, and what he is, of 
 course I cannot tell." 
 
 " Then, my son, we have come to the determination, in 
 this instance, not to advise. You must act now upon your 
 own responsibility and your own judgment. In what way 
 soever you may decide we shall not blame you. Our prayers 
 shall be that Heaven may still have you in its holy keeping." 
 
 " My decision, holy Father, is to obey the summons." 
 
 ** Be it so, my son ; something may occur which may 
 assist to work out the mystery, — a mystery which I ac- 
 knowledge to be beyond my comprehension, and of too 
 painful a nature for me to dwell upon." 
 
 Philip said no more, for he perceived that the priest was 
 not at all inclined to converse. Father Mathias took this 
 opportunity of thanking Philip for his hospitality and 
 kindness, and stated his intention of returning to Lisbon 
 by the first opportunity that might offer. 
 
The Phantom Ship 169 
 
 In a few days Amine and Philip took leave of the priests, 
 and quitted for Amsterdam — Father Seysen taking charge 
 of the cottage until Amine's return. On his arrival, Philip 
 called upon the Directors of the Company, who promised 
 him a ship on his return from the voyage he was about to 
 enter upon, making a condition that he should become part 
 owner of the vessel. To this Philip consented, and then 
 ■went down to visit the Vrow Katerina, the ship to which 
 he had been appointed as first mate. She was still 
 unrigged, and the fleet was not expected to sail for two 
 months. Only part of the crew were on board, and the 
 captain, who lived at Dort, had not yet arrived. 
 
 So far as Philip could judge, the Vroiv Katerina was a 
 very inferior vessel ; she was larger than many of the 
 others, but old, and badly constructed ; nevertheless, as 
 she had been several voyages to the Indies, and had 
 returned in safety, it was to be presumed that she would 
 not have been taken up by the Company if they had not 
 been satisfied as to her seaworthiness. Having given a 
 few directions to the men who were on board, Philip 
 returned to the hostelry where he had secured apartments 
 for himself and Amine. 
 
 The next day, as Philip was superintending the fitting 
 of the rigging, the captain of the Vrow Katerina arrived, 
 and, stepping on board of her by the plank which com- 
 municated with the quay, the first thing that he did was 
 to run to the mainmast and embrace it with both arms, 
 although there was no small portion of tallow on it to 
 smear the cloth of his coat. " Oh ; my dear Vrow, my 
 Katerina ! " cried he, as if he were speaking to a female. 
 **How do you do .? Fm glad to see you again; you have 
 been quite well, I hope ? You do not like being laid up 
 in this way. Never mind, my dear creature ! you shall 
 soon be handsome again." 
 
 The name of this personage who thus made love to his 
 vessel, was Wilhelm Barentz. He was a young man, 
 apparently not thirty years of age, of diminutive stature 
 and delicate proportions. His face was handsome, but 
 
1 7© The Phantom Ship 
 
 womanish. His movements were rapid and restless, and 
 there was that appearance in his eye which would have 
 warranted the supposition that he was a little flighty, even 
 if his conduct had not fully proved the fact. 
 
 No sooner were the ecstacies of the captain over than 
 Philip introduced himself to him, and informed him of his 
 appointment. ** Oh ! you are the first mate of the Vroix/ 
 Katerina, Sir, you are a very fortunate man. Next to 
 being captain of her, first mate is the most enviable situa- 
 tion in the world." 
 
 "Certainly not on account of her beauty," observed 
 Philip J " she may have many other good qualities." 
 
 " Not on account of her beauty ! Why, sir, I say (as 
 my father has said before me, and it was his Vrow before 
 it was mine) that she is the handsomest vessel in the world. 
 At present you cannot judge; and besides being the 
 handsomest vessel, she has every good quality under the 
 sun." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it, sir," replied Philip ; " it proves 
 that one should never judge by appearances. But is she 
 not very old ? " 
 
 ** Old ! not more than twenty-eight years — just in her 
 prime. Stop, my dear sir, till you see her dancing on the 
 waters, and then you will do nothing all day but discourse 
 with me upon her excellence, and I have no doubt that we 
 shall have a very happy time together." 
 
 " Provided the subject be not exhausted," replied Philip. 
 
 " That it never will be, on my part : and, allow me to 
 observe, Mr Vanderdecken, that any officer who finds 
 fault with the Vroiv Katerina quarrels with me. I am 
 her knight, and I have already fought three men in her 
 defence, — I trust, I shall not have to fight a fourth." 
 
 Philip smiled : he thought that she was not worth fight- 
 ing for ; but he acted upon the suggestion, and, from that 
 time forward, he never ventured to express an opinion 
 against the beautiful Vronv Katerina, 
 
 The crew were soon complete, the vessel rigged, her 
 sails bent, and she was anchored in the stream, surrounded 
 
The Phantom Ship 171 
 
 by the other ships composing the fleet about to be 
 despatched. The cargo was then received on board, and, 
 as soon as her hold was full, there came, to Philip's great 
 vexation, an order to receive on board 150 soldiers and 
 other passengers, many of whom were accompanied by 
 their wives and families. Philip worked hard, for the 
 captain did nothing but praise the vessel, and, at last, they 
 had embarked everything, and the fleet was ready to sail. 
 
 It was now time to part with Amine, who had remained 
 at the hostelry, and to whom Philip had dedicated every 
 spare moment that he could obtain. The fleet was 
 expected to sail in two days, and it was decided, that on 
 the morrow they should part. Amine was cool and 
 collected. She felt convinced that she should see her 
 husband again, and with that feeling, she embraced him as 
 they separated on the beach, and he stepped into the boat 
 in which he was to be pulled on board. 
 
 " Yes," thought Amine, as she watched the form of her 
 husband, as the distance between them increased — " yes, I 
 know that we shall meet again. It is not this voyage 
 which is to be fatal to you or me ; but I have a dark fore- 
 boding that the next, in which I shall join you, will separate 
 us for ever — in which way, I know not — but it is destined. 
 The priests talk of free-will. Is it free-will which takes 
 him away from me ? Would he not rather remain on shore 
 with me ? Yes. But he is not permitted, for he must 
 fulfil his destiny. Free-will ! Why, if it were not 
 destiny it were tyranny. I feel, and have felt, as if these 
 priests are my enemies ; but why I know not : they are 
 both good men, and the creed they teach is good. Good- 
 will and charity, love to all, forgiveness of injuries, not 
 judging others. All this is good; and yet my heart 
 
 whispers to me that but the boat is alongside, and 
 
 Philip is climbing up the vessel. Farewell, farewell, my 
 dearest husband. I would I were a man ! No, no ! 'tis 
 better as it is." 
 
 Amine watched till she could no longer perceive Philip, 
 and then walked slowly to the hostelry. The next day. 
 
172 The Phantom Ship 
 
 when she arose, she found that the fleet had sailed at day- 
 light, and the channel, which had been so crowded with 
 vessels, was now untenanted. 
 
 ** He is gone,'* muttered Amine ; " now for many 
 months of patient, calm enduring, — I cannot say of living, 
 for I exist but in his presence." 
 
 Chapter XVI 
 
 We must leave Amine to her solitude, and follow the 
 fortunes of Philip. The fleet had sailed with a flowing 
 sheet, and bore gallantly down the Zuyder Zee ; but they 
 had not been under way an hour before the Vroiv Katerina 
 was left a mile or two astern. Mynheer Barentz found 
 fault with the setting and trimming of the sails, and with 
 the man at the helm, who was repeatedly changed; in 
 short, with everything but his dear Vrow Katerina: but 
 all would not do ; she still dropped astern, and proved to 
 be the worst-sailing vessel in the fleet. 
 
 " Mynheer Vanderdecken," said he, at last, " the Frow, 
 as my father used to say, is not so very fast before the wind. 
 Vessels that are good on a wind seldom are ; but this I will 
 say, that, in every other point of sailing, there is no other 
 vessel in the fleet equal to the Vronu Katerina^'* 
 
 " Besides," observed Philp, who perceived how anxious 
 his captain was on the subject, " we are heavily laden, and 
 have so many troops on deck." 
 
 The fleet cleared the sands and were then close-hauled, 
 when the Vronv Katerina pr6ved to sail even more slowly 
 than before. 
 
 " When we are so i}ery close-hauled," observed Mynheer 
 Barentz, *' the Vronv does not do so well; but a point free, 
 and then you will see how she will show her stern to the 
 whole fleet. _ She is a fine vessel, Mynheer Vanderdecken, 
 is she not 1 ' 
 
The Phantom Ship 173 
 
 " A very fine, roomy vessel,'* replied Philip, which was 
 all that, in conscience, he could say. 
 
 The fleet sailed on, sometimes on a wind, sometimes 
 free, but let the point of sailing be what it might, the 
 Vronv Katerina was invariably astern, and the fleet had to 
 heave-to at sunset to enable her to keep company ; still, the 
 captain continued to declare that the point of sailing on 
 which they happened to be, was the only point in which the 
 Vroix) Katerina was deficient. Unfortunately, the vessel 
 had other points quite as bad as her sailing ; she was crank, 
 leaky, and did not answer the helm well : but Mynheer 
 Barentz was not to be convinced. He adored his ship, 
 and, like all men desperately in love, he could see no fault 
 in his mistress. But others were not so blind, and the 
 admiral, finding the voyage so much delayed by the bad 
 sailing of one vessel, determined to leave her to find her 
 way by herself so soon as they had passsed the Cape. 
 He was, however, spared the cruelty of deserting her, for 
 a heavy gale came on which dispersed the whole fleet, and 
 on the second day the good ship Vrow Katerina found her- 
 self alone, labouring heavily in the trough of the sea, leaking 
 so much as to require hands constantly at the pumps, and 
 drifting before the gale as fast to leeward almost as she 
 usually sailed. For a week the gale continued, and each 
 day did her situation become more alarming. Crowded 
 with troops, encumbered with heavy stores, she groaned 
 and laboured, while whole seas washed over her, and the 
 men could hardly stand at the pumps. Philip was active, 
 and exerted himself to the utmost, encouraging the worn- 
 out men, securing where aught had given way, and little 
 interfered with by the captain, who was himself no 
 sailor. 
 
 " Well," observed the captain to Philip, as they held on 
 by the belaying-pins, " you'll acknowledge that she is a fine 
 weatherly vessel in a gale — is she not ? Softly, my beauty, 
 softly," continued he, speaking to the vessel, as she plunged 
 heavily into the waves, and every timber groaned. "Softly, 
 my dear, softly ! How those poor devils in the other ships 
 
174 The Phantom Ship 
 
 must be knocking about now. Heh ! Mynheer Vander- 
 decken, we have the start of them this time : they must be 
 a terrible long way down to leeward. Don't you think 
 so ? " 
 
 ** I really cannot pretend to say," replied Philip, smiling. 
 
 "Why, there's not one of them in sight. Yes, by 
 Heavens, there is ! Look on our lee beam. I see one 
 now. Well, she must be a capital sailor at all events : look 
 there, a point abaft the beam. Mercy on me ! how stiff 
 she must be to carry such a press of canvas ! " 
 
 Philip had already seen her. It was a large ship on a 
 wind, and on the same tack as they were. In a gale in 
 which no vessel could carry the top-sails, the Vrow Katerina 
 being under close-reefed foresails and staysails, the ship 
 seen to leeward was standing under a press of sail — top- 
 gallant-sail, royals, flying-jib, and every stitch of canvas 
 which could be set in a light breeze. The waves were 
 running mountains high, bearing each minute the Vroiv 
 Katerina down to the gunwale : and the ship seen appeared 
 not to be affected by the tumultuous waters, but sailed 
 steadily and smoothly on an even keel. At once Philip 
 knew it must be the Phantom Ship, in which his father's 
 doom was being fulfilled. 
 
 " Very odd, is it not ? " observed Mynheer Barentz. 
 
 Philip felt such an oppression on his chest that he could 
 not reply. As he held on with one hand, he covered up 
 his eyes with the other. 
 
 But the seamen had now seen the vessel, and the legend 
 was too well known. Many of the troops had climbed on 
 deck when the report was circulated, and all eyes were 
 now fixed upon the supernatural vessel ; when a heavy 
 squall burst over the Vroiv Katerina, accompanied with 
 peals of thunder and heavy rain, rendering it so thick that 
 nothing could be seen. In a quarter of an hour it cleared 
 away, and, when they looked to leeward, the stranger was 
 no longer in sight. 
 
 " Merciful Heaven ! she must have been upset, and has 
 gone down in the squall," said Mynheer Barentz. '* I 
 
The Phantom Ship 175 
 
 thought as much, carrying such a press of sail. There 
 never was a ship that could carry more than the Vrow 
 Katerina. It was madness on the part of the captain of 
 that vessel ; but I suppose he wished to keep up with us. 
 Heh, Mynheer Vanderdecken ? " 
 
 Philip did not reply to these remarks, which fully proved 
 the madness of his captain. He felt that his ship was 
 doomed, and when he thought of the numbers on board 
 who might be sacrificed, he shuddered. After a pause, 
 he said — 
 
 " Mynheer Barentz, this gale is likely to continue, and 
 the best ship that ever was built cannot, in my opinion, 
 stand such weather. I should advise that we bear up, and 
 run back to Table Bay to refit. Depend upon it, we shall 
 find the whole fleet there before us." 
 
 "Never fear for the good ship, Vroiv Katerina ^ replied 
 the captain ; " see what weather she makes of it." 
 
 «* Cursed bad," observed one of the seamen, for the 
 seamen had gathered near to Philip to hear what his advice 
 might be. *' If I had known that she was such an old, 
 crazy beast, I never would have trusted myself on board. 
 Mynheer Vanderdecken is right ; we must back to Table 
 Bay ere worse befall us. That ship to leeward has given 
 us warning — she is not seen for nothing, — ask Mr Vander- 
 decken, captain ; he knows that well, for he is a sailor." 
 
 This appeal to Philip made him start ; it was, however, 
 made without any knowledge of Philip's interest in the 
 Phantom Ship. 
 
 " I must say," replied Philip, " that, whenever I have 
 fallen in with that vessel, mischief has ever followed." 
 
 " Vessel ! why, what was there in that vessel to 
 frighten you ? She carried too much sail, and she has 
 gone down." 
 
 " She never goes down," rephed one of the seamen. 
 
 " No ! no ! " exclaimed many voices ; ** but we shall, if 
 Ave do not run back." 
 
 " Pooh ! nonsense ! Mynheer Vanderdecken, what say 
 you?" 
 
176 The Phantom Ship 
 
 <« I have already stated my opinion," replied Philip, who 
 was anxious, if possible, to see the ship once more in 
 port, ** that the best thing we can do, is to bear up for 
 Table Bay." 
 
 " And, captain," continued the old seaman who had 
 just spoken, " we are all determined that it shall be so, 
 whether you like it or not ; so up with the helm, my hearty, 
 and Mynheer Vanderdecken will trim the sails." 
 
 "Why! what is this?" cried Captain Barentz. *'A 
 mutiny on board of the Vroiv Katerina ? Impossible ! 
 The Frow Katerina! the best ship, the fastest in the 
 whole fleet ! " 
 
 ** The dullest old rotten tub," cried one of the seamen. 
 
 "What!" cried the captain, "what do I hear? 
 Mynheer Vanderdecken, confine that lying rascal for 
 mutiny." 
 
 " Pooh I nonsense I he's mad," replied the old seaman. 
 " Never mind him ; come, Mynheer Vanderdecken, we 
 will obey you; but the helm must be up immedi- 
 ately." 
 
 The captain stormed, but Philip, by acknowledging the 
 superiority of his vessel, at the same time that he blamed 
 the seamen for their panic, pointed out to him the necessity 
 of compliance, and Mynheer Barentz at last consented. 
 The helm was put up, the sails trimmed, and the Frow 
 Katerina rolled heavily before the gale. Towards the 
 evening the weather moderated, and the sky cleared up ; 
 both sea and wind subsided fast ; the leaking decreased, 
 and Philip was in hopes that in a day or two they would 
 arrive safely in the Bay. 
 
 As they steered their course, so did the wind gradually 
 decrease, until, at last, it fell calm ; nothing remained of 
 the tempest but a long heavy swell which set to the west- 
 ward, and before which the Frow Katerina was gradually 
 drifting. This was a respite to the worn-out seamen, and 
 also to the troops and passengers, who had been cooped 
 below or drenched on the main-deck. 
 
 The upper deck was crowded y mothers basked in the 
 
The Phantom Ship 177 
 
 warm sun with their children in their arms ; the rigging 
 was filled with the wet clothes, which were hung up to 
 dry on every part of the shrouds ; and the seamen were 
 busily employed in repairing the injuries of the gale. By 
 their reckoning, they were not more than fifty miles from 
 Table Bay, and each moment they expected to see the 
 land to the southward of it. All was again mirth, and 
 everyone on board, except Philip, considered that danger 
 was no more to be apprehended. 
 
 The second mate, whose name was Krantz, was an 
 active, good seaman, and a great favourite with Philip, who 
 knew that he could trust to him, and it was on the after- 
 noon of this day that he and Philip were walking together 
 on the deck. 
 
 "What think you, Vanderdecken, of the strange vessel 
 we saw ? " 
 
 *' I have seen her before, Krantz ; and " 
 
 " And what ? " 
 
 " Whatever vessel I have been in when I have seen her, 
 that vessel has never returned into port — others tell the 
 same tale." 
 
 " Is she, then, the ghost of a vessel ? " 
 
 *' I am told so ; and there are various stories afloat 
 concerning her : but of this, I assure you — that I am 
 fully persuaded than some accident will happen before 
 we reach port, although everything, at this moment, 
 appears so calm, and our port is so near at hand." 
 
 "You are superstitious," replied Krantz; "and yet 
 I must say that, to me, the appearance was not like a 
 reality. No vessel could carry such sail in the gale ; but 
 yet, there are madmen afloat who will sometimes attempt 
 the most absurd things. If it was a vessel, she must 
 have gone down, for when it cleared up she was not to 
 be seen. I am not very credulous, and nothing but the 
 occurrence of the consequences which you anticipate will 
 make me believe that there was anything supernatural 
 in the affair." 
 
 " Well ! I shall not be sorry if the event proves me 
 
 P.S. M 
 
178 The Phantom Ship 
 
 wrong," replied Philip ; '' but I have my forebodings — 
 we are not in port yet." 
 
 ** No ! but we are but a trifling distance from it, 
 and there is every prospect of a continuance of fine 
 weather." 
 
 ** There is no saying from what quarter the danger 
 may come," replied Philip ; "we have other things to 
 fear than the violence of the gale." 
 
 ** True," replied Krantz ; "but, nevertheless, don't 
 let us croak. Notwithstanding all you say, I prophesy 
 that in two days, at the farthest, we are safely anchored 
 in Table Bay." 
 
 The conversation here dropped, and Philip was glad 
 to be left alone. A melancholy had seized him — a 
 depression of spirits even greater than he had ever felt 
 before. He leant over the gangway and watched the 
 heaving of the sea. 
 
 " Merciful Heaven ! " ejaculated he, " be pleased to 
 spare this vessel ; let not the wail of women, the shrieks 
 of the poor children, now embarked, be heard ; the 
 numerous body of men, trusting to her planks, — let 
 them not be sacrificed for my father's crimes." And 
 Philip mused. " The ways of Heaven are indeed 
 mysterious," thought he. — *'Why should others suffer 
 because my father has sinned ? And yet, is it not so 
 everywhere .'' How many thousands fall on the field of 
 battle in a war occasioned by the ambition of a king, 
 or the influence of a woman ! How many millions have 
 been destroyed for holding a different creed of faith ! 
 He works in His own way, leaving us to wonder and to 
 doubt." 
 
 The sun had set before Philip had quitted the gangway 
 and gone down below. Commending himself and those 
 embarked with him to the care of Providence, he at last 
 fell asleep ; but, before the bell was struck eight times 
 to announce midnight, he was awakened by a rude shove 
 of the shoulder, and perceived Krantz, who had the first 
 watch, standing by him. 
 
The Phantom Ship 179 
 
 " By the Heaven above us ! Vanderdecken, you have 
 prophesied right ! Up — quick ! The ship's on fire I " 
 
 " On fire ! " exclaimed Vanderdecken, jumping out of 
 his berth — " where ? " 
 
 *' The main-hold." 
 
 " I will up immediately, Krantz. In the meantime, 
 keep the hatches on and rig the pumps." 
 
 In less than a minute Philip was on deck, where he 
 found Captain Barentz, who had also been informed of 
 the case by the second mate. — In a few words all was 
 explained by Krantz : there was a strong smell of fire 
 proceeding from the main-hold ; and, on removing one 
 of the hatches, which he had done without calling for 
 any assistance, from a knowledge of the panic it would 
 create, he found that the hold was full of smoke ; he 
 had put it on again immediately, and had only made it 
 known to Philip and the captain. 
 
 " Thanks for your presence of mind," replied Philip ; 
 " we have now time to reflect quietly on what is to be 
 done. If the troops and the poor women and children 
 knew their danger, their alarm would have much im- 
 peded us : but how could she have taken fire in the 
 main-hold ? " 
 
 "I never heard of the Vronv Katertna taking fire before," 
 observed the captain ; " I think it is impossible. It must 
 be some mistake — she is " 
 
 " I now recollect that we have, in our cargo, several 
 cases of vitriol in bottles," interrupted Philip. " In the 
 gale, they must have been disturbed and broken. I kept 
 them above all, in case of accident : this roUing, gunwale 
 under, for so long a time must have occasioned one of 
 them to fetch way." 
 
 ** That's it, depend upon it," observed Krantz. 
 
 "I did object to receive them, stating that they ought 
 to go out in some vessel which was not so encumbered 
 with troops, so that they might remain on the main- 
 deck •, but they replied, that the invoices were made out 
 and could not be altered. But now to act. My idea is 
 
i8o The Phantom Ship 
 
 to keep the hatches on, so as to smother it if pos- 
 sible." 
 
 " Yes," replied Krantz ; " and, at the same time, cut 
 a hole in the deck just large enough to admit the hose, 
 and pump as much water as we can down into the hold." 
 
 " You are right, Krantz ; send for the carpenter, and 
 set him to work. I will turn the hands up and speak to 
 the men. I smell the fire now very strong -, there is no 
 time to lose. — If we can only keep the troops and the 
 women quiet we may do something." 
 
 The hands were turned up, and soon made their appear- 
 ance on deck, wondering why they were summoned. The 
 men had not perceived the state of the vessel, for, the 
 hatches having been kept on, the little smoke that issued 
 ascended the hatchway and did not fill the lower deck. 
 
 " My lads," said Philip, " I am sorry to say that we 
 have reason to suspect that there is some danger of fire 
 in the main-hold." 
 
 " I smell it ! " cried one of the seamen. 
 
 "So do I," cried several others, with every show of 
 alarm, and moving away as if to go below. 
 
 " Silence, and remain where you are, my men. Listen 
 to what I say : if you frighten the troops and passengers 
 we shall do nothing ; we must trust to ourselves ; there 
 is no time to be lost. — Mr Krantz and the carpenter are 
 doing all that can be done at present ; and now, my men, 
 do me the favour to sit down on the deck, every one of 
 you, while I tell you what we must do." 
 
 This order of Philip's was obeyed, and the effect was 
 excellent : it gave the men time to compose themselves 
 after the first shock ; for, perhaps, of all shocks to the 
 human frame, there is none which creates a greater panic 
 than the first intimation of fire on board of a vessel — a 
 situation, indeed, pitiable, when it is considered that you 
 have to choose between the two elements seeking your 
 destruction. Philip did not speak for a minute or two. 
 He then pointed out to the men the danger of their 
 situation, what were the measures which he and Krantz 
 
The Phantom Ship i8i 
 
 had decided upon taking, and how necessary it was that 
 all should be cool and collected. He also reminded them 
 that they had but little powder in the magazine, which 
 was far from the site of the fire, and could easily be 
 removed and thrown overboard ; and that, if the fire 
 could not be extinguished, they had a quantity of spars 
 on deck to form a raft, which, with the boats, would 
 receive all on board, and that they were but a short 
 distance from land. 
 
 Philip's address had the most beneficial effects ; the 
 men rose up when he ordered them ; one portion went 
 down to the magazine, and handed up the powder, which 
 was passed along and thrown overboard ; another went 
 to the pumps ; and Krantz, coming up, reported the hole 
 to have been cut in the planking of the deck above the 
 main-hold : the hoses were fixed, and a quantity of water 
 soon poured down, but it was impossible that the danger 
 could be kept secret. The troops were sleeping on the 
 deck, and the very employment of the seamen pointed 
 out what had occurred, even if the smoke, which now 
 increased very much, and filled the lower deck, had not 
 betrayed it. In a few minutes the alarm of Fire! was 
 heard throughout the vessel, and men, women, and 
 children were seen, some hurrying on their clothes, 
 some running frightened about the decks, some shrieking, 
 some praying, and the confusion and terror were hardly 
 to be described. 
 
 The judicious conduct of Philip was then made evident : 
 had the sailors been awakened by the appalling cry, they 
 would have been equally incapable of acting, as were the 
 troops and passengers. All subordination would have 
 ceased : some would have seized the boats, and left the 
 majority to perish : others would have hastened to the 
 spirit-room, and, by their drunkenness, added to the 
 confusion and horror of the scene : nothing would have 
 been effected, and almost all would, in all probability, 
 have perished miserably. But this had been prevented 
 by the presence of mind shown by Philip and the second 
 
1 82 The Phantom Ship 
 
 mate, for the captain was a cypher : — not wanting in 
 courage certainly, but without conduct or a knowledge 
 of his profession. The seamen continued steady to their 
 duty, pushing the soldiers out of the way as they per- 
 formed their allotted tasks ; and Philip perceiving this, 
 went down below, leaving Krantz in charge ; and by 
 reasoning with the most collected, by degrees he brought 
 the majority of the troops to a state of comparative 
 coolness. 
 
 The powder had been thrown overboard, and another 
 hole having been cut in the deck on the other side, the 
 other pump was rigged, and double the quantity of water 
 poured into the hold ; but it was evident to Philip that 
 the combustion increased. The smoke and steam now 
 burst through the interstices of the hatchways and the 
 holes cut in the deck, with a violence that proved the 
 extent of the fire which raged below, and Philip thought 
 it advisable to remove all the women and children to the 
 poop and quarter-deck of the ship, desiring the husbands 
 of the women to stay with them. It was a melancholy 
 sight, and the tears stood in Philip's eyes as he looked 
 upon the group of females — some weeping and straining 
 their children to their bosoms ; some more quiet and 
 more collected than the men : the elder children mute 
 or crying because their mothers cried, and the younger 
 ones, unconscious of danger, playing with the first object 
 which attracted their attention, or smiling at their parents. 
 The officers commanding the troops were two ensigns 
 newly entered, and very young men, ignorant of their 
 duty and without any authority — for men in cases of 
 extreme danger will not obey those who are more ignorant 
 than themselves — and, at Philip's request, they remained 
 with and superintended the women and children. 
 
 So soon as Philip had given his orders that the women 
 and children should be properly clothed (which many of 
 them were not), he went again forward to superintend 
 the labour of the seamen, who already began to show 
 symptoms of fatigue, from the excess of their exertions ; 
 
The Phantom Ship 183 
 
 but many of the soldiers now offered to work at the 
 pumps, and their services were willingly accepted. Their 
 efforts were in vain. In about half an hour more the 
 hatches were blown up with a loud noise, and a column of 
 intense and searching flame darted up perpendicularly from 
 the hold, high as the lower mast-head. Then was heard 
 the loud shriek of the women, who pressed their children 
 in agony to their breasts, as the seamen and soldiers who 
 had been working the pumps, in their precipitate retreat 
 from the scorching flames, rushed aft, and fell among the 
 huddled crowd. 
 
 " Be steady, my lads — steady, my good fellows," ex- 
 claimed Philip ; " there is no danger yet. Recollect, we 
 have our boats and raft, and although we cannot subdue 
 the fire, and save the vessel, still we may, if you are cool 
 and collected, not only save ourselves, but everyone — even 
 the poor infants, who now appeal to you as men to exert 
 yourselves in their behalf. Come, come, my lads, let us 
 do our duty — we have the means of escape in our power if 
 we lose no time. Carpenter, get your axes, and cut away 
 the boom-lashings. Now, my men, let us get our boats 
 out, and make a raft for these poor women and children ; 
 we are not. ten miles from the land. Krantz, see to the 
 boats with the starboard watch ; larboard watch with me, 
 to launch over the booms. Gunners, take any of the 
 cordage you can, ready for lashing. Come, my lads, 
 there is no want of light — we can work without lanterns." 
 
 The men obeyed, as Philip, to encourage them, had 
 almost jocularly remarked (for a joke is often well-timed, 
 when apparently on the threshold of eternity), there was 
 no want of light. The column of fire now ascended above 
 the main-top — licking with its forky tongue the top-mast 
 rigging — and embracing the mainmast in its folds : and the 
 loud roar with which it ascended proved the violence and 
 rapidity of the combustion below, and how little time there 
 was to be lost. The lower and main decks were now so 
 filled with smoke that no one could remain there ; some 
 few poor fellows, sick in their cots, had long been 
 
1 84 The Phantom Ship 
 
 smothered, for they had been forgotten. The swell had 
 much subsided, and there was not a breath of wind ; the 
 smoke which rose from the hatchways ascended straight 
 up in the air, which, as the vessel had lost all steerage 
 way, was fortunate. The boats were soon in the water, 
 and trusty men placed in them : the spars were launched 
 over, arranged by the men in the boats, and lashed to- 
 gether. All the gratings were then collected and firmly 
 fixed upon the spars for the people to sit upon ; and 
 Philip's heart was glad at the prospect which he now had 
 of saving the numbers which were embarked. 
 
 Chapter XVII 
 
 But their diiEculties were not surmounted — the fire now 
 had communicated to the main-deck, and burst out of the 
 port-holes amidships — and the raft which had been forming 
 alongside was obliged to be drifted astern, where it was 
 more exposed to the swell. This retarded their labour, 
 and, in the meantime, the fire was making rapid progress ; 
 the mainmast, which had long been burning, fell over the 
 side with the lurching of the vessel, and the flames out of 
 the main-deck ports soon showed their points above the 
 bulwarks, while volumes of smoke were poured in upon 
 the upper deck, almost suffocating the numbers which 
 were crowded there ; for all communication with the 
 fore-part of the ship had been, for some time, cut off by 
 the flames, and everyone had retreated aft. The women 
 and children were now carried on to the poop j not only 
 to remove them farther from the suffocating smoke, but 
 that they might be lowered down to the raft from the 
 stern. 
 
 It was about four o'clock in the morning when all was 
 ready, and by the exertions of Philip and the seamen, 
 notwithstanding the swell, the women and children were 
 safely placed on the raft, where it was considered that 
 
The Phantom Ship 185 
 
 they would be less in the way, as the men could relieve 
 each other in pulling when they were tired. 
 
 After the women and children had been lowered down, 
 the troops were next ordered to descend by the ladders 5 
 some few were lost in the attempt, falling under the 
 boat's bottom and not reappearing ; but two-thirds of the 
 men were safely put in the berths they were ordered to 
 take by Krantz, who had gone down to superintend this 
 important arrangement. Such had been the vigilance of 
 Philip, who had requested Captain Barentz to stand over 
 the spirit-room hatch, with pistols, until the smoke on 
 the main-deck rendered the precaution unnecessary, that 
 not a single person was intoxicated, and to this might be 
 ascribed the order and regularity which had prevailed 
 during this trying scene. But before one-third of the 
 soldiers had descended by the stern ladder, the fire burst 
 out of the stern windows with a violence that nothing 
 could withstand ; spouts of vivid flame extended several 
 feet from the vessel, roaring with the force of a blow- 
 pipe ; at the same time, the flames bursi through all the 
 after-ports of the main-deck, and those remaining on 
 board found themselves encircled with fire, and suffocated 
 with smoke and heat. The stern ladders were consumed 
 in a minute and dropped into the sea ; the boats which 
 had been receiving the men were obliged, also, to back 
 astern from the intense heat of the flames ; even those on 
 the raft shrieked as they found themselves scorched by 
 the ignited fragments which fell on them as they were 
 enveloped in an opaque cloud of smoke, which hid from 
 them those who still remained on the deck of the vessel. 
 Philip attempted to speak to those on board, but he was 
 not heard. A scene of confusion took place which ended 
 in great loss of life. The only object appeared to be 
 who should first escape; though, except by jumping 
 overboard, there was no escape. Had they waited, and 
 (as Philip would have pointed out to them) have one by 
 one thrown themselves into the sea, the men in the boats 
 were fully prepared to pick them up ; or had they climbed 
 
1 86 The Phantom Ship 
 
 out to the end of the lateen mizen-yard which was 
 lowered down, they might have descended safely by a 
 rope, but the scorching of the flames which surrounded 
 them and the suffocation from the smoke was overpower- 
 ing, and most of the soldiers sprang over the taffrail at 
 once, or as nearly so as possible. The consequence was 
 that there were thirty or forty in the water at the same 
 time, and the scene was as heart-rending as it was appall- 
 ing ; the sailors in the boats dragging them in as fast as 
 they could — the women on the raft, throwing to them 
 loose garments to haul them in ; at one time a wife 
 shrieking as she saw her husband struggling and sinking 
 into eternity ; — at another, curses and execrations from 
 the swimmer who was grappled with by the drowning 
 man, and dragged with him under the surface. Of eighty 
 men who were left of the troops on board at the time 
 of the bursting out of the flames from the stern windows, 
 but twenty-five were saved. There were but few sea- 
 men left on board with Philip, the major part having been 
 employed in making the raft or manning the three boats ; 
 those who were on board remained by his side, regulating 
 their motions by his. After allowing full time for the 
 soldiers to be picked up, Philip ordered the men to climb 
 out to the end of the lateen yard which hung on the 
 taffrail, and either to lower themselves down on the raft 
 if it was under, or to give notice to the boats to receive 
 them. The raft had been dropped farther astern by the 
 seamen, that those on board of it might not suffer from 
 the smoke and heat; and the sailors, one after another, 
 lowered themselves down and were received by the boats. 
 Philip desired Captain Barentz to go before him, but the 
 captain refused. He was too much choked with smoke 
 to say why, but no doubt but that it would have been 
 something in praise of the Vronv Katerina, Philip then 
 climbed out •, he was followed by the captain, and they 
 were both received into one of the boats. 
 
 The rope which had hitherto held the raft to the ship, 
 was now cast off, and it was taken in by the boats ; and 
 
The Phantom Ship 187 
 
 in a short time the Vroiu Katerina was borne to leeward 
 of them ; and Philip and Krantz now made arrangements 
 for the better disposal of the people. The sailors were 
 almost all put into boats, that they might relieve one 
 another in pulling ; the remainder were placed on the 
 raft, along with the soldiers, the women, and the children. 
 Notwithstanding that the boats were all as much loaded 
 as they could well bear, the numbers on the raft were so 
 great that it sunk nearly a foot under water when the 
 swell of the sea poured upon it ; but stanchions and ropes 
 to support those on board had been fixed, and the men 
 remained at the sides, while the women and children were 
 crowded together in the middle. 
 
 As soon as these arrangements were made, the boats 
 took the raft in tow, and just as the dawn of day appeared, 
 pulled in the direction of the land. 
 
 The Vroiv Katerina was, by this time, one volume of 
 flame ; she had drifted about half a mile to leeward, and 
 Captain Barentz, who was watching her as he sat in the 
 boat with Philip, exclaimed — " Well, there goes a lovely 
 ship, a ship that could do everything but speak — I'm sure 
 that not a ship in the fleet would have made such a bonfire 
 as she has — does she not burn beautifully — nobly ? My 
 poor Vrow Katerina! perfect to the last, we never shall 
 see such a ship as you again ! Well, I'm glad my father 
 did not live to see this sight, for it would have broken his 
 heart, poor man." 
 
 Philip made no reply, he felt a respect even for Captain 
 Barentz's misplaced regard for the vessel. They made but 
 little way, for the swell was rather against them, and the 
 raft was deep in the water. The day dawned, and the 
 appearance of the weather was not favourable ; it promised 
 the return of the gale. Already a breeze ruffled the 
 surface of the water, and the swell appeared to increase 
 rather than go down. The sky was overcast and the 
 horizon thick. Philip looked out for the land but could 
 not perceive it, for there was a haze on the horizon, 
 so that he could not see more than five miles. He felt 
 
188 The Phantom Ship 
 
 that to gain the shore before the coming night was 
 necessary for the preservation of so many individuals, 
 of whom more than sixty were women and children, who, 
 without any nourishment, were sitting on a frail raft, 
 immersed in the water. No land in sight — a gale coming 
 on, and in all probability, a heavy sea and dark night. 
 The chance was indeed desperate, and Philip was miserable 
 — 'most miserable — when he reflected that so many innocent 
 beings might, before the next morning, be consigned to a 
 watery tomb, — and why ? — yes, there was the feeling — 
 that although Philip could reason against, he never could 
 conquer ; for his own life he cared nothing — even the idea 
 of his beloved Amine was nothing in the balance at these 
 moments. The only point which sustained him, was the 
 knowledge that he had his duty to perform, and, in the 
 full exercise of his duty, he recovered himself. 
 
 " Land ahead ! " was now cried out by Krantz, who was 
 in the headmost boat, and the news was received with a 
 shout of joy from the raft and the boats. The anticipation 
 and the hope the news gave was like manna in the 
 wilderness ; and the poor v/omen on the raft, drenched 
 sometimes above the waist by the swell of the sea, clasped 
 the children in their arms still closer, and cried — ** My 
 darling, you shall be saved." 
 
 Philip stood upon the stern-sheets to survey the land, 
 and he had the satisfacaion of finding that it was not five 
 miles distant, and a ray of hope warmed his heart. The 
 breeze now had gradually increased, and rippled the water. 
 The quarter from which the wind came was neither 
 favourable nor adverse, being on the beam. Had they 
 had sails for the boats, it would have been otherwise, but 
 they had been stowed away and could not be procured. 
 The sight of land naturally rejoiced them all, and the 
 seamen in the boats cheered, and double-banked the oars 
 to increase their way j but the towing of a large raft sunk 
 under water was no easy task -, and they did not, with 
 all their exertions, advance more than half a mile an hour. 
 
 Until noon they continued their exertions, not without 
 
The Phantom Ship i89 
 
 success ; they were not three miles from the land ; but, as 
 the sun passed the meridian, a change took place ; the 
 breeze blew strong ; the swell of the sea rose rapidly ; and 
 the raft was often so deeply immersed in the waves as to 
 alarm them for the safety of those upon her. Their way 
 was proportionally retarded, and by three o'clock they had 
 not gained half-a-mile from where they had been at noon. 
 The men not having had refreshment of any kind during 
 the labour and excitement of so many hours, began to flag 
 in their exertions. The wish for water was expressed by 
 all — from the child who appealed to its mother, to the 
 seaman who strained at the oar. Philip did all he could 
 to encourage the men -, but finding themselves so near 
 to the land, and so overcome with fatigue, and that the 
 raft in tow would not allow them to approach their haven, 
 they murmured, and talked of the necessity of casting loose 
 the raft and looking out for themselves. A feeling 
 of self prevailed, and they were mutinous : but Philip 
 expostulated with them, and out of respect for him, they 
 continued their exertions for another hour, when a 
 circumstance occurred which decided the question, upon 
 which they had recommenced a debate. 
 
 The increased swell and the fresh breeze had so beat 
 about and tossed the raft, that it was with difficulty, for 
 some time, that its occupants could hold themselves on it. 
 A loud shout, mingled with screams, attracted the attention 
 of those in the boats, and Philip, looking back, perceived 
 that the lashings of the raft had yielded to the force of the 
 waves, and that it had separated amidships. The scene 
 was agonising ; husbands were separated from their wives 
 and children — each floating away from each other — for the 
 part of the raft which was still towed by the boats had 
 already left the other far astern. The women rose up and 
 screamed, and held up their children ; some, more frantic, 
 dashed into the water between them, and attempted to 
 gain the floating wreck upon which their husbands stood, 
 and sank before they could be assisted. But the horror 
 increased — one lashing having given way, all the rest soon 
 
190 The Phantom Ship 
 
 followed ; and, before the boats could turn and give 
 assistance the sea was strewed with the spars which 
 composed the raft, with men, women, and children 
 clinging to them. Loud were the yells of despair, and 
 the shrieks of the women, as they embraced their offspring, 
 and in attempting to save them were lost themselves. The 
 spars of the raft still close together, were hurled one upon 
 the other by the swell, and many found death by being 
 jammed between them. Although all the boats hastened 
 to their assistance, there was so much difficulty and danger 
 in forcing them between the spars, that but few were 
 saved, and even those few were more than the boats could 
 well take in. The seamen and a few soldiers were picked 
 up, but all the females and the children had sank beneath 
 the waves. 
 
 The effect of this catastrophe may be imagined, but 
 hardly described. The seamen who had debated as to 
 casting them adrift to perish, wept as they pulled towards 
 the shore. Philip was overcome, he covered his face, and 
 remained, for some time, without giving directions, and 
 heedless of what passed. 
 
 It was now five o'clock in the evening ; the boats had 
 cast off the tow-lines, and vied with each other in their 
 exertions. Before the sun had set they all had arrived 
 at the beach, and were safely landed in the little sand bay 
 into which they had steered ; for the wind was off the 
 shore, and there was no surf. The boats were hauled up, 
 and the exhausted men lay down on the sands, till warm 
 with the heat of the sun, and forgetting that they had 
 neither eaten nor drank for so long a time, they were soon 
 fast asleep. Captain Barentz, Philip, and Krantz, as soon 
 as they had seen the boats secured, held a short consulta- 
 tion, and were then glad to follow the example of the 
 seamen ; harassed and worn out with the fatigue of the 
 last twenty-four hours, their senses were soon drowned in 
 oblivion. 
 
 For many hours they all slept soundly, dreamt of water, 
 and awoke to the sad reality that they were tormented with 
 
The Phantom Ship 191 
 
 thirst, and were on a sandy beach with the salt waves 
 mocking them ; but they reflected how many of their late 
 companions had been swallowed up, and felt thankful that 
 they had been spared. It was early dawn when they all 
 rose from the forms which they had impressed on the 
 yielding sand ; and, by the directions of Philip, they 
 separated in every direction, to look for the means of 
 quenching their agony of thirst. As they proceeded over 
 the sand-hills, they found growing in the sand a low 
 spongy-leaf sort of shrub, something like what in our 
 greenhouses is termed the ice-plant ; the thick leaves of 
 which were covered with large drops of dew. They sank 
 down on their knees, and proceeded from one to the other 
 licking off the moisture which was abundant, and soon 
 felt a temporary relief. They continued their search till 
 noon without success, and hunger was now added to their 
 thirst ; they then returned to the beach to ascertain if their 
 companions had been more successful. They had also 
 quenched their thirst with the dew of heaven, but had 
 found no water or means of subsistence ; but some of them 
 had eaten the leaves of the plant which had contained the 
 dew in the morning, and had found them, although acid, 
 full of watery sap and grateful to the palate. The plant 
 in question is the one provided by bounteous Providence 
 for the support of the camel and other beasts in the arid 
 desert, only to be found there, and devoured by all 
 ruminating animals with avidity. By the advice of Philip 
 they collected a quantity of this plant and put it into the 
 boats, and then launched. 
 
 They were not more than fifty miles from Table Bay, 
 and although they had no sails, the wind was in their 
 favour. Philip pointed out to them how useless it was to 
 remain, when before morning they would, in all probability, 
 arrive at where they would obtain all they required. The 
 advice was approved of and acted upon -, the boats were 
 shoved off and the oars resumed. So tired and exhausted 
 were the men, that their oars dipped mechanically into the 
 water, for there was no strength left to be applied ; it was 
 
192 The Phantom Ship 
 
 not until the next morning at daylight, that they had 
 arrived opposite False Bay, and they had still many miles 
 to pull. The wind in their favour had done almost all 
 — the men could do little or nothing. 
 
 Encouraged, however, by the sight of land which they 
 knew, they rallied ; and at about noon they pulled ex- 
 hausted to the beach at the bottom of Table Bay, near to 
 which were the houses, and the fort protecting the settlers 
 who had for some few years resided there. They landed 
 close to where a broad rivulet at that season (but a torrent 
 in the winter) poured its stream into the Bay. At the 
 sight of fresh water, some of the men dropped their oars, 
 threw themselves into the sea when out of their depth — 
 others when the water was above their waists — yet they 
 did not arrive so soon as those who waited till the boat 
 struck the beach, and jumped out upon dry land. And 
 then they threw themselves into the rivulet, which coursed 
 over the shingle, about five or six inches in depth, allowing 
 the refreshing stream to pour into their mouths till they 
 could receive no more, immersing their hot hands, and 
 rolling in it with delight. 
 
 Despots and fanatics have exerted their ingenuity to 
 invent torments for their victims — how useless ! — the rack, 
 the boot, fire, — all that they have imagined are not to be 
 compared to the torture of extreme thirst. In the ex- 
 tremity of agony the sufferers cry for water and it is not 
 refused : they might have spared themselves their refined 
 ingenuity of torment and the disgusting exhibition of it, 
 had they only confined the prisoner in his cell, and refused 
 him water. 
 
 As soon as they had satisfied the most pressing of all 
 wants, they rose dripping from the stream, and walked up 
 to the houses of the factory ; the inhabitants of which, 
 perceiving that boats had landed, when there was no vessel 
 in the Bay, naturally concluded that some disaster had 
 happened, and were walking down to meet them. — Their 
 tragical history was soon told. The thirty-six men that 
 stood before them were all that were left of nearly three 
 
The Phantom Ship 193 
 
 hundred souls embarked, and they had been more than two 
 days without food. At this intimation no further questions 
 were asked by the considerate settlers, until the hunger of 
 the sufferers had been appeased, when the narrative of 
 their sufferings was fully detailed by Philip and Krantz. 
 
 ** I have an idea that I have seen you before," observed 
 one of the settlers ; ** did you come on shore when the 
 fleet anchored ? " 
 
 " I did not," replied Philip ; " but I have been here." 
 
 ** I recollect, now," replied the man ; " you were the 
 only survivor of the Ter Schilling, which was lost in False 
 Bay." 
 
 " Not the only survivor," replied Philip 5 " I thought so 
 myself, but I afterwards met the pilot, a one-eyed man, of 
 the name of Schriften, who was my shipmate — he must 
 have arrived here after me. You saw him, of course ? " 
 
 " No, I did not ; no one belonging to the Ter Schilling 
 ever came here after you, for I have been a settler here 
 ever since, and it is not likely that I should forget such a 
 circumstance." 
 
 ** He must, then, have returned to Holland by some 
 other means." 
 
 ** I know not how. — Our ships never go near the coast 
 after they leave the Bay ; it is too dangerous." 
 
 " Nevertheless, I saw him," replied Philip, musing. 
 
 ** If you saw him, that is sufficient : perhaps some vessel 
 had been blown down to the eastern side, and picked him 
 up ; but the natives in that part are not likely to have 
 spared the life of a European. The Gaffres are a cruel 
 people." 
 
 The information that Schriften had not been seen at the 
 Cape, was a subject of meditation to Philip. He had 
 always an idea, as the reader knows, that there was some- 
 thing supernatural about the man, and this opinion was 
 corroborated by the report of the settler. 
 
 We must pass over the space of two months, during 
 which the wrecked seamen were treated with kindness by 
 the settlers, and, at the expiration of which, a small brig 
 p.s. N 
 
194 '^^ Phantom Ship 
 
 arrived at the Bay, and took in refreshments: she was 
 homeward bound, with a full cargo, and being chartered 
 by the Company, could not refuse to receive on board the 
 crew of the Vroiv Katerina. Philip, Krantz, and the sea- 
 men embarked, but Captain Barentz remained behind to 
 settle at the Cape. 
 
 ** Should I go home," said he to Philip, who argued with 
 him, " I have nothing in this world to return for. I have 
 no wife — no children — I had but one dear object, my 
 Vrow Katerina, who was my wife, my child, my every- 
 thing — she is gone, and I never shall find another vessel 
 like her ; and if I could, I should not love it as I did her. 
 No, my affections are buried with her ; are entombed in 
 the deep sea. How beautifully she burnt ! she went out 
 of the world like a phoenix, as she was. No ! no I I will 
 be faithful to her — I will send for what little money I 
 have, and live as near to her tomb as I can — I never shall 
 forget her as long as I live. I shall mourn over her, and 
 * Vrow Katerina,' when I die, will be found engraven on 
 my heart." 
 
 Philip could not help wishing that his affections had been 
 fixed upon a more deserving object, as then, probably, the 
 tragical loss had not taken place ; but he changed the 
 subject, feeling that, being no sailor, Captain Barentz was 
 much better on shore, than in the command of a vessel. 
 They shook hands and parted — Philip promising to execute 
 Barentz's commission, which was to turn his money into 
 articles most useful to a settler, and have them sent out by 
 the first fleet which should sail from the Zuyder Zee. 
 But this commission it was not Philip's good fortune to 
 execute. The brig, named the Wilhelmina, sailed, and soon 
 arrived at St Helena. After watering she proceeded on 
 her voyage. They had made the Western Isles, and Philip 
 was consoling himself with the anticipation of soon joining 
 his Amine, when to the northward of the Islands, they 
 met with a furious gale, before which they were obliged to 
 scud for many days, with the vessel's head to the south- 
 east 5 and as the wind abated and they were able to haul 
 
The Phantom Ship 195 
 
 to it, they fell in with a Dutch fleet, of five vessels, 
 commanded by an Admiral, which had left Amsterdam more 
 than two months, and had been buffeted about, by contrary 
 gales, for the major part of that period. Cold, fatigue, 
 and bad provisions had brought on the scurvy, and the 
 ships were so weakly manned that they could hardly 
 navigate them. When the captain of the Wilhelmina 
 reported to the Admiral that he had part of the crew of the 
 Vroiv Katerina on board, he was ordered to send them 
 immediately to assist in navigating his crippled fleet — remon- 
 strance was useless — ^Philip had but time to write to Amine, 
 acquainting her with his misfortunes and disappointment ; 
 and, confiding the letter to his wife, as well as his narrative 
 of the loss of the Vroiv Katerina for the directors, to the 
 charge of the captain of the Wilhelmina, he hastened to 
 pack up his effects, and repaired on board of the Admiral's 
 ship, with Krantz and the crew. To them were added six 
 of the men belonging to the Wilhelmina, which the Admiral 
 insisted on retaining ; and the brig, having received the 
 Admiral's despatches, was then permitted to continue her 
 voyage. 
 
 Perhaps there is nothing more trying to the seaman's 
 feelings, than being unexpectedly forced to recommence 
 another series of trials, at the very time when they 
 anticipate repose from the former; yet, how often does 
 this happen! Philip was melancholy. ** It is my destiny," 
 thought he, using the words of Amine, " and why should I 
 not submit ? " Krantz was furious, and the seamen dis- 
 contented and mutinous — but it was useless. Might is 
 right on the vast ocean, where there is no appeal — no trial 
 or injunction to be obtained. 
 
 But hard as their case appeared to them, the Admhal 
 was fully justified in his proceeding. His ships were 
 almost unmanageable with the few hands who could still 
 perform their duty; and this small increase of physical 
 power might be the means of saving hundreds who lay 
 helpless in their hammocks. In his own vessel, the Lion, 
 which was manned with two hundred and fifty men, when 
 
196 The Phantom Ship 
 
 she sailed from Amsterdam, there were not more than 
 seventy capable of doing duty ; and the other ships had 
 suffered in proportion. 
 
 The first captain of the Lion was dead, the second 
 captain in his hammock, and the Admiral had no one to 
 assist him but the mates of the vessel, some of whom 
 crawled up to their duty more dead than alive. The ship 
 of the second in command, the Dorty was even in a more 
 deplorable plight. The Commodore was dead ; the first 
 captain was still doing his duty ; but he had but one more 
 officer capable of remaining on deck. 
 
 The Admiral sent for Philip into his cabin, and having 
 heard his narrative of the loss of the Vroiv Katerina, he 
 ordered him to go on board of the Commodore's ship as 
 captain, giving the rank of Commodore to the captain at 
 present on board of her ; Krantz was retained on board his 
 own vessel, as second captain ; for, by Philip's narrative, 
 the Admiral perceived at once that they were both good 
 officers and brave men. 
 
 Chapter XVIII 
 
 The fleet under Admiral Rymelandt's command was 
 ordered to proceed to the East Indies by the western 
 route, through the Straits of Magellan into the Pacific 
 Ocean— it being still imagined, notwithstanding previous 
 failures, that this route offered facilities which might 
 shorten the passage of the Spice Islands. 
 
 The vessels composing the fleet were the Lion of forty- 
 four guns, bearing the Admiral's flag ; the Dort of thirty- 
 six guns, with the Commodore's pendant— ^to which Philip 
 was appointed ; the Zuyder Zee of twenty ; the Tottng Frau 
 of twelve, and a ketch of four guns, called the Schevelling. 
 
 The crew of the Vroiv Katerina were divided between 
 the two larger vessels ; the others, being smaller, were 
 easier worked with fewer hands. Every arrangement 
 
The Phantom Ship 197 
 
 having been made, the boats were hoisted up, and the ships 
 made saih For ten days they were baffled by light winds, 
 and the victims to the scurvy increased considerably on 
 board of Philip's vessel. Many died and were thrown 
 overboard, and others were carried down to their 
 hammocks. 
 
 The newly-appointed Commodore, whose name was 
 Avenhorn, went on board of the Admiral, to report the 
 state of the vessel, and to suggest, as Philip had proposed 
 to him, that they should make the coast of South America, 
 and endeavour, by bribery or by force, to obtain supplies 
 either from the Spanish inhabitants or the natives. But to 
 this the Admiral would not listen. He was an imperious, 
 bold, and obstinate man, not to be persuaded or con- 
 vinced, and with little feeling for the sufferings of others. 
 Tenacious of being advised, he immediately rejected a pro- 
 position which, had it originated with himself, would 
 probably have been immediately acted upon; and the 
 Commodore returned on board his vessel, not only disap- 
 pointed, but irritated by the language used towards 
 him. 
 
 ** What are we to do, Captain Vanderdecken ? you 
 know too well our situation — it is impossible we can 
 continue long at sea 5 if we do, the vessel will be drifting 
 at the mercy of the waves, while the crew die a wretched 
 death in their hammocks. At present, we have forty men 
 left ; in ten days more we shall probably have but twenty; 
 for as the labour becomes more severe, so do they drop 
 down the faster. Is it not better to risk our lives in 
 combat with the Spaniards, than die here like rotten 
 sheep ? " 
 
 "I perfectly agree with you, Commodore," replied 
 Philip ; " but still we must obey orders. The Admiral is 
 an inflexible man." 
 
 "And a cruel one. I have a great mind to part 
 company in the night, and, if he finds fault, I will justify 
 myself to the directors on my return." 
 
 "Do nothing rashly — perhaps, when day by day he 
 
198 The Phantom Ship 
 
 finds his own ship's company more weakened, he will see 
 the necessity of following your advice." 
 
 A week had passed away after this conversation, and the 
 fleet had made little progress. In each ship the ravages 
 of the fatal disease became more serious, and, as the 
 Commodore had predicted, he had but twenty men really 
 able to do duty. Nor had the Admiral's ship and the 
 other vessels suffered less. The Commodore again went 
 on board to reiterate his proposition. 
 
 Admiral Rymelandt was not only a stern, but a 
 vindictive man. He was aware of the propriety of the 
 suggestion made by his second in command, but, having 
 refused it, he would not acquiesce ; and he felt revengeful 
 against the Commodore, whose counsel he must now either 
 adopt, or by refusing it be prevented from taking the steps 
 so necessary for the preservation of his crew, and the 
 success of his voyage. Too proud to acknowledge 
 himself in error, again did he decidedly refuse, and the 
 Commodore went back to his own ship. The fleet was 
 then within three days of the coast, steering to the south- 
 ward for the Straits of Magellan, and that night, after 
 Philip had retired to his cot, the Commodore went on deck 
 and ordered the course of the vessel to be altered some 
 points more to the westward. The night was very dark, 
 and the Lion was the only ship which carried a poop- 
 lantern, so that the parting company of the Dort was not 
 perceived by the Admiral and the other ships of the fleet. 
 When Philip went on deck next morning, he found that 
 their consorts were not in sight. He looked at the 
 compass, and, perceiving that the course was altered, 
 inquired at what hour and by whose directions. Finding 
 that it was by his superior officer, he of course said 
 nothing. When the Commodore came on deck, he stated 
 to Philip that he felt himself warranted in not complying 
 with the Admiral's orders, as it would have been sacrific- 
 ing the whole ship's company. This was, indeed, true. 
 
 In two days they made the land, and, running into the 
 shore, perceived a large town and Spaniards on the beach* 
 
The Phantom Ship 199 
 
 They anchored at the mouth of the river, and hoisted 
 English colours, when a boat came on board to ask them 
 who they were and what they required ? The Commodore 
 replied that the vessel was English, for he knew that the 
 hatred of the Spanish to the Dutch was so great that, if 
 known to belong to that nation, he would have had no 
 chance of procuring any supplies, except by force. He 
 stated that he had fallen in with a Spanish vessel, a com- 
 plete wreck, from the whole of the crew being afflicted 
 with the scurvy ; that he had taken the men out, who were 
 now in their hammocks below, as he considered it cruel to 
 leave so. many of his fellow-creatures to perish, and that he 
 had come out of his course to land them at the first Spanish 
 fort he could reach. He requested that they would im- 
 mediately send on board vegetables and fresh provisions 
 for the sick men, whom it would be death to remove, 
 until after a few days, when they would be a little 
 restored ; and added, that in return for their assisting the 
 Spaniards, he trusted the Governor would also send 
 supplies for his own people. 
 
 This well made-up story was confirmed by the officer 
 sent on board by the Spanish Governor. Being requested 
 to go down below and see the patients, the sight of so 
 many poor fellows in the last stage of that . horrid disease 
 — their teeth fallen out, gums ulcerated, bodies full of 
 tumours and sores — was quite sufficient, and, hurrying 
 up from the lower deck, as he would have done from a 
 charnel-house, the officer hastened on shore and made his 
 report. 
 
 In two hours a large boat was sent off with fresh beef 
 and vegetables sufficient for three days* supply for the 
 ship's company, and these were immediately distributed 
 among the men. A letter of thanks was returned by the 
 Commodore, stating that his health was so indifferent as 
 to prevent his coming on shore in person to thank the 
 Governor, and forwarding a pretended list of the Spaniards 
 on board, in which he mentioned some officers and people 
 of distinction, whom he imagined might be connected with 
 
200 The Phantom Ship 
 
 the family of the Governor, whose name and titles he had 
 received from the messenger sent on board ; for the Dutch 
 knew full well the majority of the noble Spanish families 
 — indeed, alliances had continually taken place between 
 them, previous to their assertion of their independence. 
 The Commodore concluded his letter by expressing a hope 
 that, in a day or two, he should be able to pay his respects 
 and make arrangements for the landing of the sick, as he 
 was anxious to proceed on his voyage of discovery. 
 
 On the third day, a fresh supply of provisions was sent 
 on board, and, so soon as they were received, the Com- 
 modore, in an English uniform, went on shore and called 
 upon the Governor, gave a long detail of the sufferings of 
 the people he had rescued, and agreed that they should be 
 sent on shore in two days, and they would, by that time, 
 be well enough to be moved. After many compliments, 
 he went on board, the Governor having stated his intention 
 to return his visit on the following day, if the weather were 
 not too rough. Fortunately, the weather was rough for 
 the next two days, and it was not until the third that the 
 Governor made his appearance. This was precisely what 
 the Commodore wished. 
 
 There is no disease, perhaps, so dreadful or so rapid in 
 its effects upon the human frame, and at the same time so 
 instantaneously checked, as the scurvy, if the remedy can 
 be procured. A few days were sufficient to restore those, 
 who were not able to turn in their hammocks, to their 
 former vigour. In the course of the six days nearly all the 
 crew of the Dort were convalescent and able to go on deck *, 
 but still they were not cured. The Commodore waited 
 for the arrival of the Governor, received him with all due 
 honours, and then, so soon as he was in the cabin, told him 
 very politely that he and all his officers with him were 
 prisoners. That the vessel was a Dutch man-of-war, and 
 that it was his own people, and not Spaniards, who had been 
 dying of the scurvy. He consoled him, however, by point- 
 ing out that he had thought it preferable to obtain provisions 
 by this ruse, than to sacrifice lives on both sides by taking 
 
The Phantom Ship 201 
 
 them by force, and that his Excellency's captivity would en- 
 dure no longer than until he had received on board a sufficient 
 number of live bullocks and fresh vegetables to insure the 
 recovery of the ship's company ; and, in the meantime, not 
 the least insult would be offered to him. "Whereupon the 
 Spanish Governor first looked at the Commodore and then 
 at the file of armed men at the cabin door, and then to 
 his distance from the town 5 and then called to mind the 
 possibility of his being taken out to sea. Weighing all 
 these points in his mind, and the very moderate ransom 
 demanded (for bullocks were not worth a dollar apiece in 
 that country), he resolved, as he could not help himself, 
 to comply with the Commodore's terms. He called for 
 pen and ink, and wrote an order to send on board 
 immediately all that was demanded. Before sunset the 
 bullocks and vegetables were brought off, and, so soon as 
 they were alongside, the Commodore, with many bows 
 and many thanks, escorted the Governor to the gangway, 
 complimenting him with a salvo of great guns, as he had 
 done before, on his arrival. The people on shore thought 
 that his Excellency had paid a long visit, but, as he did 
 not like to acknowledge that he had been deceived, 
 nothing was said about it at least, in his hearing, although 
 the facts were soon well known. As soon as the boats 
 were cleared, the Commodore weighed anchor and made 
 sail, well satisfied with having preserved his ship's 
 company j and, as the Falkland Islands, in case of parting 
 company, had been named as the rendezvous, he steered 
 for them. In a fortnight he arrived, and found that his 
 Admiral was not yet there. His crew were now all 
 recovered, and his fresh beef was not yet expended, when 
 he perceived the Admiral and the three other vessels in 
 the offing. 
 
 It appeared that so soon as the Dort had parted company, 
 the Admiral had immediately acted upon the advice that 
 the Commodore had given him, and had run for the coast. 
 Not being so fortunate in a ruse as his second in command, 
 he had landed an armed force from the four vessels, and 
 
202 The Phantom Ship 
 
 had succeeded in obtaining several head of cattle, at the 
 expense of an equal number of men killed and wounded. 
 But at the same time they had collected a large quantity 
 of vegetables of one sort or another, which they had carried 
 on board and distributed with great success to the sick, 
 who were gradually recovering. 
 
 Immediately that the Admiral had anchored, he made 
 the signal for the Commodore to repair on board, and 
 taxed him with disobedience of orders in having left the 
 fleet. The Commodore did not deny that he had so done, 
 but excused himself upon the plea of necessity, offering to 
 lay the whole matter before the Court of Directors so 
 soon as they returned ; but the Admiral was vested with 
 most extensive powers, not only of the trial, but the 
 condemnation and punishment of any person guilty of 
 mutiny and insubordination in his fleet. In reply, he told 
 the Commodore that he was a prisoner, and, to prove it, 
 he confined him in irons under the half-deck. 
 
 A signal was then made for all the captains : they went 
 on board, and of course Philip was of the number. On 
 their arrival the Admiral held a summary court-martial, 
 proving to them by his instructions that he was so 
 warranted to do. The result of the court-martial could 
 be but one, — condemnation for a breach of discipline, to 
 which Philip was obliged reluctantly to sign his name. 
 The Admiral then gave Philip the appointment of second 
 in command, and the Commodore's pendant, much to the 
 annoyance of the captains commanding the other vessels, 
 — but in this the Admiral proved his judgment, as there 
 was no one of them so fit for the task as Philip. Having 
 so done, he dismissed them. Philip would have spoken to 
 the late Commodore, but the sentry opposed it, as against 
 his orders ; and with a friendly nod, Philip was obliged to 
 leave him without the desired communication. 
 
 The fleet remained three weeks at the Falkland Islands, 
 to recruit the ships' companies. Although there was no 
 fresh beef, there was plenty of scurvy-grass and penguins. 
 These birds were in myriads on some parts of the island, 
 
The Phantom Ship 203 
 
 which, from the propinquity of their nests, built of mud, 
 went by the name of towns. There they sat, close 
 together (the whole area which they covered being bare 
 of grass), hatching their eggs and rearing their young. 
 The men had but to select as many eggs and birds as they 
 pleased, and so numerous were they, that, when they had 
 supplied themselves, there was no apparent diminution of 
 the numbers. This food, although in a short time not 
 very palatable to the seamen, had the effect of restoring 
 them to health, and, before the fleet sailed, there was 
 not a man who was afflicted with the scurvy. In the 
 meantime the Commodore remained in irons, and many 
 were the conjectures concerning his ultimate fate. The 
 power of life and death was known to be in the Admiral's 
 hands, but no one thought that such power would be 
 exerted upon a delinquent of so high a grade. The other 
 captains kept aloof from Philip, and he knew little of 
 what was the general idea. Occasionally when on board 
 of the Admiral's ship, he ventured to bring up the 
 question, but was immediately silenced ; and feeling that 
 he might injure the late Commodore (for whom he had 
 a regard), he would risk nothing by importunity; and 
 the fleet sailed for the Straits of Magellan, without 
 anybody being aware of what mi^ht be the result of the 
 court-martial. 
 
 It was about a fortnight after they had left the Falkland 
 Islands, that they entered the Straits. At first they had a 
 leading wind which carried them half through, but this did 
 not last, and they then had to contend not only against the 
 wind, but against the current, and they daily lost ground. 
 The crews of the ships also began to sicken from fatigue 
 and cold. Whether the Admiral had before made up his 
 mind, or whether, irritated by his fruitless endeavours to 
 continue his voyage, it is impossible to say ; but, after 
 three weeks' useless struggle against the wind and currents, 
 he hove-to and ordered all the captains on board, when he 
 proposed that the prisoner should receive his punishment — 
 and that punishment was — to be deserted — that is, to be sent 
 
204 The Phantom Ship 
 
 on shore with a day's food, where there was no means of 
 obtaining support, so as to die miserably of hunger. This 
 was a punishment frequently resorted to by the Dutch at 
 that period, as will be seen by reading an account of their 
 voyages : but, at the same time, seldom, if ever, awarded 
 to one of so high a rank as that of Commodore. 
 
 Philip immediately protested against it, and so did 
 Krantz, although they were both aware, that by so doing 
 they would make the Admiral their enemy ; but the other 
 captains, who viewed both of them with a jealous eye, and 
 considered them as interlopers and interfering with their 
 advancement, sided with the Admiral. Notwithstanding 
 this majority, Philip thought it his duty to expostulate. 
 
 ** You know well. Admiral," said he, ** that I joined in 
 his condemnation for a breach of discipline : but, at the 
 same time, there was much in extenuation. He committed 
 a breach of discipline to save his ship's company, but not 
 an error in judgment, as you yourself proved, by taking 
 the same measure to save your own men. Do not, there- 
 fore, visit an offence of so doubtful a nature with such 
 cruelty. Let the Company decide the point when you send 
 him home, which you can do so soon as you arrive in India. 
 He is sufficiently punished by losing his command : to do 
 what you propose will be ascribed to feelings of revenge 
 more than to those of justice. What success can we 
 deserve if we commit an act of such cruelty ; and how can 
 we expect a merciful Providence to protect us from the 
 winds and waves when we are thus barbarous towards each 
 other?" 
 
 Philip's arguments were of no avail. The Admiral 
 ordered him to return on board his ship, and had he been 
 able to find an excuse, he would have deprived him of his 
 command. This he could not well do 5 but Philip was 
 aware that the Admiral was now his inveterate enemy. 
 The Commodore was taken out of irons and brought into 
 the cabin, and his sentence was made known to him. 
 
 " Be it so, Admiral," replied Avenhorn ; " for, to attempt 
 to turn you from your purpose, I know would be un- 
 
The Phantom Ship 205 
 
 availing. I am not punished for disobedience of orders, 
 but for having, by my disobedience, pointed out to you 
 your duty — a duty which you were forced to perform 
 afterwards by necessity. Then be it so ; let me perish on 
 these black rocks, as I shall, and my bones be whitened 
 by the chilly blasts which howl over their desolation. But 
 mark me, cruel and vindictive man ! I shall not be the only 
 one whose bones will bleach there. I prophesy that many 
 others will share my fate, and even you. Admiral, may be 
 of the number,—if I mistake not, we shall lie side by side.'^ 
 
 The Admiral made no reply, . but gave a sign for the 
 prisoner to be removed. He then had a conference with 
 the captains of the three smaller vessels ; and, as they had 
 been all along retarded by the heavier sailing of his own 
 ship and the Dort commanded by Philip, he decided that 
 they should part company, and proceed on as fast as they 
 could to the Indies^— sending on board of the two larger 
 vessels all the provisions they could spare, as they already 
 began to run short. 
 
 Philip had left the cabin with Krantz after the prisoner 
 had been removed. He then wrote a few lines upon a slip 
 of paper—** Do not leave the beach when you are put on 
 shore, until the vessels are out of sight ; " and, requesting 
 Krantz to find an opportunity to deliver this to the 
 Commodore, he returned on board of his own ship. 
 
 When the crew of the Dort heard of the punishment 
 about to be inflicted upon their old Commander, they were 
 much excited. They felt that he had sacrificed himself to 
 save them, and they murmured much at the cruelty of the 
 Admiral. 
 
 About an hour after Philip's return to his ship, the 
 prisoner was sent oft shore and landed on the desolate and 
 rocky coast, with a supply of provisions for two days. 
 Not a single article of extra clothing, or the means of 
 striking a light was permitted him. When the boat's keel 
 grazed the beach, he was ordered out. The boat shoved 
 off, and the men were not permitted even to bid him 
 farewell. 
 
2o6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 The fleet, as Philip expected, remained hove-to, shifting 
 the provisions, and it was not till after dark that everything 
 was arranged. This opportunity was not lost. Philip was 
 aware that it would be considered a breach of discipline, 
 but to that he was indifferent ; neither did he think it 
 likely that it would come to the ears of the Admiral, as the 
 crew of the Dort were partial both to the Commodore and 
 to him. He had desired a seaman whom he could trust, to 
 put into one of the boats a couple of muskets and a quantity 
 of ammunition, several blankets, and various other articles, 
 besides provisions for two or three months for one person, 
 and, as soon as it was dark, the men pulled on shore with 
 the boat, found the Commodore on the beach waiting for 
 them, and supplied him with all these necessaries. They 
 then rejoined their ship, without the Admiral's having the 
 least suspicion of what had been done, and shortly after the 
 fleet made sail on a wind, with their heads off shore. The 
 next morning, the three smaller vessels parted company, 
 and by sunset had gained many miles to windward, after 
 which they were not again seen. 
 
 The Admiral had sent for Philip to give him his instruc- 
 tions, which were very severe, and evidently framed so as 
 to be able to afford him hereafter some excuse for depriving 
 him of his command. Among others, his orders were, as 
 the Dort drew much less water than the Admiral's ship, 
 to sail ahead of him during the night, that, if they 
 approached too near the land as they beat across the 
 Channel, timely notice might be given to the Admiral, if 
 in too shallow water. This responsibility was the occasion 
 of Philip's being always on deck when they approached 
 the land of either side of the Straits. It was the second 
 night after the fleet had separated that Philip had been 
 summoned on deck as they were nearing the land of Terra 
 del Fuego ; he was watching the man in the chains heaving 
 the lead, when the officer of the watch reported to him that 
 the Admiral's ship was ahead of them instead of astern. 
 Philip made enquiry as to when he passed, but could not 
 discover ; he went forward, and saw the Admiral's ship 
 
The Phantom Ship 207 
 
 with her poop-light, which, when the Admiral was astern, 
 was not visible. " What can be the Admiral's reason for 
 this ? " thought Philip 5 " has he run ahead on purpose to 
 make a charge against me of neglect of duty ? it must 
 be so. "Well, let him do as he pleases j he must wait now 
 till we arrive in India, for I shall not allow him to desert 
 me J and, with the Company, I have as much, and I rather 
 think, as a large proprietor, more interest than he has. 
 Well, as he has thought proper to go ahead, I have nothing 
 to do but follow. * You may come out of the chains 
 there.'" 
 
 Philip went forward : they were now, as he imagined, very 
 near to the land, but the night was dark and they could 
 not distinguish it. For half an hour they continued their 
 course, much to Philip's surprise, for he now thought he 
 could make out the loom of the land, dark as it was. His 
 eyes were constantly fixed upon the ship ahead, expecting 
 every minute that she would go about ; but no, she con- 
 tinued her course, and Philip followed with his own 
 vessel. 
 
 " We are very close to the land, sir," observed Vander 
 Hagen, the lieutenant, who was the officer of the watch. 
 
 "So it appears to me : but the Admiral is closer, and 
 draws much more water than we do," replied Philip. 
 
 ** I think I see the rocks on the beam to leeward, sir." 
 
 " I believe you are right," replied Philip : ** I cannot 
 understand this. Ready about, and get a gun ready — 
 they must suppose us to be ahead of them, depend upon 
 it." 
 
 Hardly had Philip given the order, when the vessel 
 struck heavily on the rocks. Philip hastened aft; he 
 found that the rudder had been unshipped, and the vessel 
 was immovably fixed. His thoughts then reverted to the 
 Admiral. ** Was he on shore ? " He ran forward, and 
 the Admiral was still sailing on, with his poop-light, about 
 two cables' length ahead of him. 
 
 " Fire the gun, there," cried Philip, perplexed beyond 
 measure. 
 
2o8 The Phantom Ship 
 
 The gun was fired, and immediately followed up by the 
 flash and report of another gun close astern of them. Philip 
 looked with astonishment over the quarter and perceived 
 the Admiral's ship close astern to him, and evidently on 
 shore as well as his own. 
 
 " Merciful Heaven ! " exclaimed Philip, rushing forward, 
 ** what can this be ? " He beheld the other vessel with 
 her light ahead, still sailing on and leaving them. The 
 day was now dawning, and there was sufficient light ta 
 make out the land. The Dort was on shore not fifty 
 yards from the beach, and surrounded by the high and 
 barren rocks ; yet the vessel ahead was apparently sailing 
 on over the land. The seamen crowded on the forecastle 
 watching this strange phenomenon j at last it vanished 
 from their sight. 
 
 ** That's the Flying Dutchman , by all that's holy ! " cried 
 one of the seamen, jumping off the gun. 
 
 Hardly had the man uttered these words when the 
 vessel disappeared. 
 
 Philip felt convinced that it was so, and he walked away 
 aft in a very perturbed state. It must have been his 
 father's fatal ship which had decoyed them to probable 
 destruction. He hardly knew how to act. The Admiral's 
 wrath he did not wish, just at that moment, to encounter. 
 He sent for the officer of the watch, and, having desired 
 him to select a crew for the boat, out of those men who 
 had been on deck, and could substantiate his assertions, 
 ordered him to go on board of the Admiral and state 
 what had happened. 
 
 As soon as the boat had shoved off, Philip turned his 
 attention to the state of his own vessel. The daylight 
 had increased, and Philip perceived that they were sur- 
 rounded by rocks, and had run on shore between two 
 reefs, which extended half a mile from the mainland. 
 He sounded round his vessel, and discovered that she 
 was fixed from forward to aft, and that, without lightening 
 her, there was no chance of getting her off. He then 
 turned to where the Admiral's ship lay aground, and 
 
The Phantom Ship 209 
 
 found that, to all appearance, she was in even a worse 
 phght, as the rocks to leeward of her were above the 
 water, and she was much more exposed, should bad 
 weather come on. Never, perhaps, was there a scene 
 more cheerless and appalling : a dark wintry sky — a sky 
 loaded with heavy clouds — the wind cold and piercing — 
 the whole line of the coast one mass of barren rocks, 
 without the slightest appearance of vegetation ; the inland 
 part of the country presented an equally sombre appear- 
 ance, and the higher points were capped with snow, 
 although it was not yet the winter season. Sweeping 
 the coast with his eye, Philip perceived, not four miles 
 to leeward of them (so little progress had they made), 
 the spot where they had deserted the Commodore. 
 
 " Surely this has been a judgment on him for his 
 cruelty," thought Philip, " and the prophecy of poor 
 Avenhorn will come true — more bones than his will 
 bleach on those rocks." Philip turned round again to 
 where the Admiral's ship was on shore, and started back, 
 as he beheld a sight even more dreadful than all that 
 he had viewed — the body of Vander Hagen, the officer 
 sent on board of the Admiral, hanging at the main-yard- 
 arm. " My God ! is it possible ? " exclaimed Philip, 
 stamping with sorrow and indignation. 
 
 His boat was returning on board, and Philip awaited 
 it with impatience. The men hastened up the side, and 
 breathlessly informed Philip that the Admiral, as soon as 
 he had heard the Lieutenant's report, and his acknow- 
 ledgment that he was officer of the watch, had ordered 
 him to be hung, and that he had sent them back with a 
 summons for him to repair on board immediately, and 
 that they had seen another rope preparing at the other 
 yard-arm. 
 
 " But not for you, sir," cried the men ; *' that shall 
 never be — you shall not go on board — and we will defend 
 you with our lives." 
 
 The whole ship's company joined in this resolution, and 
 expressed their determination to resist the Admiral. Philip 
 p.s. o 
 
•210 The Phantom Ship 
 
 thanked them kindly — stated his intention of not going on 
 board, and requested that they would remain quiet, until 
 it was ascertained what steps the Admiral might take. 
 He then went down to his cabin, to reflect upon what 
 plan he should pursue. As he looked out of the stern- 
 windows, and perceived the body of the young man still 
 swinging in the wind, he almost wished that he was in 
 his place, for then there would be an end to his wayward 
 fate : but he thought of Amine, and felt that, for her, 
 he wished to live. That the Phantom Ship should have 
 decoyed him to destruction was also a source of much 
 painful feeling, and Philip meditated, with his hands 
 pressed to his temples. "It is my destiny," thought 
 he at last, " and the will of Heaven must be done : we 
 could not have been so deceived if Heaven had not 
 permitted it." And then his thoughts reverted to his 
 present situation. 
 
 That the Admiral had exceeded his powers in taking 
 the life of the officer was undeniable, as, although his 
 instructions gave him power of life and death, still it was 
 only to be decided by the sentence of the court-martial 
 held by the captains commanding the vessels of the fleet ; 
 he therefore felt himself justified in resistance. But Philip 
 was troubled with the idea that such resistance might 
 lead to much bloodshed ; and he was still debating how 
 to act, when they reported to him that there was a boat 
 coming from the Admiral's ship. Philip went upon deck 
 to receive the officer, who stated that it was the Admiral's 
 order that he should immediately come on board, and 
 that he must consider himself now under arrest, and 
 deliver up his sword. 
 
 "No ! no ! " exclaimed the ship's company of the Dort, 
 " He shall not go on board. We will stand by our 
 Captain to the last." 
 
 " Silence, men ! silence ! " cried Philip. " You must 
 be aware, sir," said he to the officer, " that in the cruel 
 punishment of that innocent young man, the Admiral has 
 exceeded his powers : and, much as I regret to see any 
 
The Phantom Ship 211 
 
 symptoms of mutiny and insubordination, it must be re- 
 membered that, if those in command disobey the orders 
 they have received, by exceeding them, they not only 
 set the example, but give an excuse for those who 
 otherwise would be bound to obey them, to do the 
 same. Tell the Admiral that his murder of that innocent 
 man has determined me no longer to consider myself 
 under his authority, and that I will hold myself, as well 
 as him, answerable to the Company whom we serve, for 
 our conduct. I do not intend to go on board and put 
 myself in his power, that he might gratify his resentment 
 by my ignominious death. It is a duty that I owe 
 these men under my command to preserve my life, that 
 I may, if possible, preserve theirs in this strait ; and you 
 may also add, that a little reflection must point out to 
 him that this is no time for us to war with, but to assist 
 each other with all our energies. We are here, ship- 
 wrecked on a barren coast, with provisions insufficient 
 for any lengthened stay, no prospect of succour, and 
 little of escape. As the Commodore truly prophesied, 
 many more are likely to perish as well as him — and even 
 the Admiral himself may be of the number. I shall wait 
 his answer •, if he choose to lay aside all animosity, and 
 refer our conduct to a higher tribunal, I am willing to 
 join with him in rendering that assistance to each other 
 which our situation requires — if not, you must perceive, 
 and of course will tell him, that I have those with me 
 who will defend me against any attempt at force. You 
 have my answer, sir, and may go on board." 
 
 The officer went to the gangway, but found that none 
 of his crew, except the bowman, were in the boat ; they 
 had gone up to gain from the men of the Dort the true 
 history of what they had but imperfectly heard : and, 
 before they were summoned to return, had received full 
 intelligence. They coincided with the seamen of the 
 Dorty that the appearance of the Phantom Ship, which 
 had occasioned their present disaster, was a judgment 
 upon the Admiral, for his conduct in having so cruelly 
 deserted the poor Commodore. 
 
212 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Upon the return of the officer with Philip's answer, 
 the rage of the Admiral was beyond all bounds. He 
 ordered the guns aft, which would bear upon the Dorty 
 to be double-shotted, and fired into her ; but Krantz 
 pointed out to him that they could not bring more guns 
 to bear upon the Dorty in their present situation, than 
 the Dort could bring to bear upon them; that their 
 superior force was thus neutralised, and that no advantage 
 could result from taking such a step. The Admiral im- 
 mediately put Krantz under arrest, and proceeded to put 
 into execution his insane intentions. In this he was, how- 
 ever, prevented by the seamen of the Lion, who neither 
 wished to fire upon their consort, nor to be fired at in 
 return. The report of the boat's crew had been circulated 
 through the ship, and the men felt too much ill-will 
 against the Admiral, and perceived at the same time 
 the extreme difficulty of their situation, to wish to make 
 it worse. They did not proceed to open mutiny, but 
 they went down below, and when the officers ordered 
 them up, they refused to go upon deck ; and the officers, 
 who were equally disgusted with the Admiral's conduct, 
 merely informed him of the state of the ship's company, 
 without naming individuals, so as to excite his resentment 
 against any one in particular. Such was the state of 
 affairs when the sun went down. Nothing had been 
 done on board the Admiral's ship, for Krantz was under 
 arrest, and the Admiral had retired in a state of fury 
 to his cabin. 
 
 In the meantime Philip and the ship's company had 
 not been idle — they had laid an anchor out astern, and 
 hove taut : they had started all the water, and were 
 pumping it out, when a boat pulled alongside, and Krantz 
 made his appearance on deck. 
 
 ** Captain Vanderdecken, I have come to put myself 
 under your orders, if you will receive me — if not, render 
 me your protection ; for, as sure as fate, I should have 
 been hanged to-morrow morning, if I had remained in my 
 own ship. The men in the boat have come with the 
 
The Phantom Ship 213 
 
 same intention — that of joining you, if you will permit 
 them." 
 
 Although Philip would have wished it had been other- 
 wise, he could not well refuse to receive Krantz, under 
 the circumstances of the case. He was very partial to 
 him, and to save his life, which certainly was in danger, 
 he would have done much more. He desired that the 
 boat's crew should return ; but when Krantz had stated 
 to him what had occurred on board the Lion, and the crew 
 earnestly begged him not to send them back to almost 
 certain death, which their having effected the escape 
 of Krantz would have assured, Philip reluctantly allowed 
 them to remain. 
 
 The night was tempestuous, but the wind being now 
 off shore, the water was not rough. The crew of the 
 Dort, under the directions of Philip and Krantz, succeeded 
 in lightening the vessel so much during the night that the 
 next morning they were able to haul her off, and found 
 that her bottom had received no serious injury. It was 
 fortunate for them that they had not discontinued their 
 exertions, for the wind shifted a few hours before sunrise, 
 and by the time that they had shipped their rudder, it came 
 on to blow fresh down the Straits, the wind being 
 accompanied with a heavy swell. 
 
 The Admiral's ship still lay aground, and apparently no 
 exertions were used to get her off. Philip was much 
 puzzled how to act : leave the crew of the Lion he could 
 not ; nor indeed could he refuse, or did he wish to refuse 
 the Admiral, if he proposed coming on board ; but he now 
 made up his mind that it should only be as a passenger, 
 and that he would himself retain the command. At 
 present he contented himself with dropping his anchor 
 outside, clear of the reef, where he was sheltered by a 
 bluff cape, under which the water was smooth, about 
 a mile distant from where the Admiral's ship lay on shore ; 
 and he employed his crew in replenishing his water-casks 
 from a rivulet close to where the ship was anchored. He 
 waited to see if the other vessel got off, being convinced 
 
•214 '^^^ Phantom Ship 
 
 that if she did not some communicatioa must soon take 
 place. As soon as the water was complete, he sent one of 
 the boats to the place where the Commodore had been 
 landed, having resolved to take him on board, if they could 
 find him ; but the boat returned without having seen 
 anything of him, although the men had clambered over 
 the hills to a considerable distance. 
 
 On the second morning after Philip had hauled his 
 vessel off, they observed that the boats of the Admiral's 
 ship were passing and repassing from the shore, landing 
 her stores and provisions ; and the next day, from the 
 tents pitched on shore, it was evident that she was 
 abandoned, although the boats were still employed in 
 taking articles out of her. That night it blew fresh, 
 and the sea was heavy ; the next morning her masts were 
 gone, and she turned on her broadside ; she was evidently 
 a wreck, and Philip now consulted with Krantz how to 
 act. To leave the crew of the Lion on shore was 
 impossible : they must all perish when the winter set in 
 upon such a desolate coast. On the whole, it was con- 
 sidered advisable that the first communication should come 
 from the other party, and Philip resolved to remain quietly 
 at anchor. 
 
 It was very plain that there was no longer any sub- 
 ordination among the crew of the Lion^ who were to 
 be seen, in the day-time, climbing over the rocks in every 
 direction, and at night, when their large fires were lighted, 
 carousing and drinking. This waste of provisions was a 
 subject of much vexation to Philip. He had not more 
 than sufficient for his own crew, and he took it for granted 
 that, so soon as what they had taken on shore should 
 be expended, the crew of the Lion would ask to be 
 received on board of the Dort, 
 
 For more than a week did affairs continue in this state, 
 when, one morning, a boat was seen pulling towards the 
 ship, and, in the stern-sheets Philip recognised the officer 
 who had been sent on board to put him under arrest. When 
 the officer came on deck, he took off his hat to Philip. 
 
The Phantom Ship 215 
 
 " You do, then, acknowledge me as in command," 
 observed Philip. 
 
 " Yes, sir, most certainly ; you were second in 
 command, but now you are first — for the Admiral is dead." 
 
 " Dead ! " exclaimed Philip ; "and how ? " 
 
 ** He was found dead on the beach, under a high clifF, 
 and the body of the Commodore was in his arms ; indeed, 
 they were both grappled together. It is supposed, that 
 in his walk up to the top of the hill, which he used to 
 take every day, to see if any vessels might be in the 
 Straits, he fell in with the Commodore — that they had 
 come to contention, and had both fallen over the precipice 
 together. No one saw the meeting, but they must have 
 fallen over the rocks, as the bodies are dreadfully 
 mangled." 
 
 On inquiry, Philip ascertained that all chance of saving 
 the Lion had been lost after the second night, when she 
 had beat in her larboard streak, and had six feet of water 
 in the hold — that the crew had been very insubordinate, 
 and had consumed almost all the spirits ; and that not 
 only all the sick had already perished, but also many 
 others who had either fallen over the rocks when they 
 were intoxicated, or had been found dead in the morning, 
 from their exposure during the night. 
 
 " Then the poor Commodore's prophecy has been ful- 
 filled ! " observed Philip to Krantz. " Many others, and 
 even the Admiral himself, have perished with him — peace 
 be with them ! And now let us get away from this 
 horrible place as soon as possible." 
 
 Philip then gave orders to the officer to collect his 
 men, and the provisions that remained, for immediate 
 embarkation. Krantz followed soon after with all the 
 boats, and before night everything was on board. The 
 bodies of the Admiral and Commodore were buried where 
 they lay, and the next morning the Dort was under weigh, 
 and, with a slanting wind, was laying a fair course through 
 the Straits. 
 
2i6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Chapter XIX 
 
 It appeared as if their misfortunes were to cease, after 
 the tragical death of the two commanders. In a few 
 days, the Dort had passed through the Straits of 
 Magellan, and was sailing in the Pacific Ocean, with a 
 blue sky and quiet sea. The ship's company recovered 
 their health and spirits, and the vessel being now well 
 manned, the duty was carried on with cheerfulness. 
 
 In about a fortnight, they had gained well up on the 
 Spanish coast, but although they had seen many of the 
 inhabitants on the beach, they had not fallen in with 
 any vessels belonging to the Spaniards. Aware that if 
 he met with a Spanish ship of superior force it would 
 attack him, Philip had made every preparation, and had 
 trained his men to the guns. He had now, with the 
 joint crews of the vessels, a well-manned ship, and the 
 anticipation of prize-money had made his men very eager 
 to fall in with some Spaniard, which they knew that 
 Philip would capture if he could. Light winds and calms 
 detained them for a month on the coast, when Philip 
 determined upon running for the Isle St Marie, where, 
 though he knew it was in possession of the Spaniards, 
 he yet hoped to be able to procure refreshments for the 
 ship's company, either by fair means or by force. The 
 Dort was, by their reckoning, about thirty miles from 
 the island, and having run in until after dark, they had 
 hove-to till the next morning. Krantz was on deck; 
 he leant over the side, and as the sails flapped to the 
 masts, he attempted to define the line of the horizon. 
 It was very dark, but as he watched, he thought that he 
 perceived a light for a moment, and which then dis- 
 appeared. Fixing his eyes on the spot, he soon made 
 out a vessel, hove-to, and not two cables' length distant. 
 He hastened down to apprise Philip, and procure a glass. 
 By the time Philip was on deck, the vessel had been 
 
The Phantom Ship 217 
 
 distinctly made out to be a three-masted xebeque, very 
 low in the water. After a short consultation, it was 
 agreed that the boats on the quarter should be lowered 
 down, and manned and armed without noise, and that 
 they should steal gently alongside and surprise her. The 
 men were called up, silence enjoined, and in a few 
 minutes the boats' crew had possession of the vessel ; 
 having boarded her and secured the hatches before the 
 alarm could be given by the few who were on deck. 
 More men were then taken on board by Krantz, who, 
 as agreed upon, lay to under the lee of the Dort until 
 the daylight made its appearance. The hatches were 
 then taken off, and the prisoners sent on board of the 
 Dort. There were sixty people on board, a large number 
 for a vessel of that description. 
 
 On being interrogated, two of the prisoners, who were 
 well-dressed and gentlemanlike persons, stepped forward 
 and stated that the vessel was from St Mary's, bound 
 to Lima, with a cargo of flour and passengers ; that the 
 crew and captain consisted of twenty-five men, and all 
 the rest who were on board, had taken that opportunity 
 of going to Lima. That they themselves were among 
 the passengers, and trusted that the vessel and cargo 
 would be immediately released, as the two nations were 
 not at war. 
 
 " Not at war at home, I grant," replied Philip, " but in 
 these seas, the constant aggressions of your armed ships 
 compel me to retaliate, and I shall therefore make a prize 
 of your vessel and cargo. At the same time, as I have no 
 wish to molest private individuals, I will land all the 
 passengers and crew at St Mary's, to which place I am 
 bound in order to obtain refreshments, which now I shall 
 expect will be given cheerfully as your ransom, so as to 
 relieve me from resorting to force." The prisoners pro- 
 tested strongly against this, but without avail. They then 
 requested leave to ransom the vessel and cargo, offering a 
 larger sum than they both appeared to be worth; but 
 Philip, being short of provisions, refused to part with the 
 
2i8 The Phantom Ship 
 
 cargo, and the Spaniards appeared much disappointed at 
 the unsuccessful issue of their request. Finding that 
 nothing would induce him to part with the provisions, 
 they then begged hard to ransom the vessel ; and to this, 
 after a consultation with Krantz, Philip gave his assent. 
 The two vessels then made sail, and steered on for the 
 island, then about four leagues distant. Although Philip 
 had not wished to retain the vessel, yet, as they stood in 
 together, her superior speed became so manifest that he 
 almost repented that he had agreed to ransom her. 
 
 At noon, the Dort was anchored in the roads, out of 
 gunshot, and a portion of the passengers allowed to go 
 on shore and make arrangements for the ransom of the 
 remainder, while the prize was hauled alongside, and her 
 cargo hoisted into the ship. Towards evening, three large 
 boats with live stock and vegetables and the sum agreed 
 upon for the ransom of the xebeque, came alongside ; and 
 as soon as one of the boats was cleared, the prisoners were 
 permitted to go on shore in it, with the exception of the 
 Spanish pilot, who, at the suggestion of Krantz, was 
 retained, with a promise of being released directly the 
 Dort was clear of the Spanish seas. A negro slave was 
 also, at his own request, allowed to remain on board, much 
 to the annoyance of the two passengers before mentioned, 
 who claimed the man as their property, and insisted that 
 it was an infraction of the agreement which had been 
 entered into. " You prove my right by your own words," 
 replied Philip -, " I agreed to deliver up all the passengers, 
 but no property ; the slave will remain on board." 
 
 Finding their endeavours ineffectual, the Spaniards took 
 a haughty leave. The Dort remained at anchor that night 
 to examine her rigging, and the next morning they dis- 
 covered that the xebeque had disappeared, having sailed 
 unperceived by them during the night. 
 
 As soon as the anchor was up and sail made on the ship, 
 Philip went down to his cabin with Krantz, to consult as 
 to their best course. They were followed by the negro 
 slave, who, shutting the door and looking watchfully 
 
The Phantom Ship 219 
 
 round, said that he wished to speak with them. His in- 
 formation was most important, but given rather too late. 
 The vessel which had been ransomed was a government 
 advice-boat, the fastest sailer the Spaniards possessed. 
 The two pretended passengers were officers of the Spanish 
 navy, and the others were the crew of the vessel. She 
 had been sent down to collect the bullion and take it to 
 Lima, and at the same time to watch for the arrival of the 
 Dutch fleet, intelHgence of whose sailing had been some 
 time before received overland. When the Dutch fleet 
 made its appearance, she was to return to Lima with the 
 news, and a Spanish force would be despatched against it. 
 They further learnt that some of the supposed casks of 
 flour contained 2000 gold doubloons each, others bars of 
 silver J this precaution having been taken in case of capture. 
 That the vessel had now sailed for Lima there was no 
 doubt. The reason why the Spaniards were so anxious 
 not to leave the negro on board of the Dort, was, that 
 they knew that he would disclose what he now had done. 
 As for the pilot, he was a man whom the Spaniards knew 
 they could trust, and for that reason they had better be 
 careful of him, or he would lead the Dort into some 
 difficulty. 
 
 Philip now repented that he had ransomed the vessel, as 
 he would, in all probability, have to meet and cope with a 
 superior force, before he could make his way clear out of 
 these seas 5 but there was no help for it. He consulted 
 with Krantz, and it was agreed that they should send for 
 the ship's company and make them acquainted with these 
 facts •, arguing that a knowledge of the valuable capture 
 which they had made, would induce the men to fight well, 
 and stimulate them with the hopes of further success. 
 The ship's company heard the intelligence with delight, 
 professed themselves ready to meet double their force, 
 and then, by the directions of Philip, the casks were 
 brought up on the quarter-deck, opened, and the bullion 
 taken out. The whole, when collected, amounted to 
 about half a million of dollars, as near as they could 
 
220 The Phantom Ship 
 
 estimate it, and a distribution of the coined money was 
 made from the capstan the very next day ; the bars of 
 metal being reserved until they could be sold, and their 
 value ascertained. 
 
 For six weeks Philip worked his vessel up the coast, 
 without falling in with any vessel under sail. Notice had 
 been given by the advice-boat, as it appeared, and every 
 craft, large and small, was at anchor under the batteries. 
 They had nearly run up the whole coast, and Philip had 
 determined that the next day he would stretch across to 
 Batavia, when a ship was seen in-shore under a press of 
 sail, running towards Lima. Chase was immediately given, 
 but the water shoaled, and the pilot was asked if they 
 could stand on. He replied in the affirmative, stating that 
 they were now in the shallowest water, and that it was 
 deeper within. The leadsman was ordered into the chains, 
 but at the first heave the lead-line broke; another was 
 sent for, and the Dort still carried on under a heavy press 
 of sail. Just then, the negro slave went up to Philip, and 
 told him that he had seen the pilot with his knife in the 
 chains, and that he thought he must have cut the lead-line 
 so far through as to occasion it being carried away, and 
 told Philip not to trust him. The helm was immediately 
 put down ; but as the ship went round she touched on the 
 bank, dragged, and was again clear. — ** Scoundrel ! " cried 
 PhiUp. " So you cut the lead-fine ^ The negro saw you, 
 and has saved us." 
 
 The Spaniard leaped down from off the gun, and, 
 before he could be prevented, had buried his knife in the 
 heart of the negro. " Maldetto, take that for your pains ! " 
 cried he, in a fury, grinding his teeth and flourishing his 
 knife. 
 
 The negro fell dead. The pilot was seized and dis- 
 armed by the crew of the Dort, who were partial to the 
 negro, as it was from his information that they had become 
 rich. 
 
 " Let them do with him as they please," said Krantz to 
 Philip. 
 
The Phantom Ship 221 
 
 " Yes," replied Philip ; " summary justice." 
 
 The crew debated a few minutes, and then lashed the 
 pilot to the negro, and carried him off to the taffrail. 
 There was a heavy plunge, and he disappeared under the 
 eddying waters in the wake of the vessel. 
 
 Philip now determined to shape his course for Batavia. 
 He was within a few days' sail of Lima, and had every 
 reason to believe that vessels had been sent out to inter- 
 cept him. With a favourable wind he now stood away 
 from the coast, and for three days made a rapid passage. 
 On the fourth, at daylight, two vessels appeared to wind- 
 ward, bearing down upon him. That they were large 
 armed vessels was evident; and the display of Spanish 
 ensigns and pennants, as they rounded to, about a mile to 
 windward, soon showed that they were enemies. They 
 proved to be a frigate of a larger size than the Dort, and a 
 corvette of twenty-two guns. 
 
 The crew of the Dort showed no alarm at this disparity 
 of force : they clinked their doubloons in their pockets ; 
 vowed not to return them to their lawful owners, if they 
 could help it ; and flew with alacrity to their guns. The 
 Dutch ensign was displayed in defiance, and the two 
 Spanish vessels, again putting their heads towards the 
 Dorti that they might lessen their distance, received some 
 raking shot, which somewhat discomposed them ; but they 
 rounded to at a cable's length, and commenced the action 
 with great spirit, the frigate lying on the beam, and the 
 corvette on the bow of Philip's vessel. After half an hour's 
 determined exchange of broadsides, the foremast of the 
 Spanish frigate fell, carrying away with it the maintop- 
 mast j and this accident impeded her firing. The Dort 
 immediately made sail, stood on to the corvette, which she 
 crippled with three or four broadsides, then tacked, and 
 fetched alongside of the frigate, whose lee-guns were still 
 impeded with the wreck of the foremast. The two 
 vessels now lay head and stern, within ten feet of each 
 other, and the action recommenced to the disadvantage of 
 the Spaniard. In a quarter of an hour the canvas. 
 
2 22 The Phantom Ship 
 
 hanging overside, caught fire from the discharge of the 
 guns, and very soon communicated to the ship, the Dort 
 still pouring in a most destructive broadside, which could 
 not be effectually returned. After every attempt to 
 extinguish the flames, the captain of the Spanish vessel re- 
 solved that both vessels should share the same fate. He 
 put his helm up, and, running her on to the Dorty grappled 
 with her, and attempted to secure the two vessels together. 
 Then raged the conflict j the Spaniards attempting to pass 
 their grappling-chains so as to prevent the escape of their 
 enemy, and the Dutch endeavouring to frustrate their 
 attempt. The chains and sides of both vessels were 
 crowded with men fighting desperately ; those struck 
 down falling between the two vessels, which the wreck 
 of the foremast still prevented from coming into actual 
 collision. During this conflict, Philip and Krantz were 
 not idle. By squaring the after-yards, and putting all sail 
 on forward they contrived that the Dort should pay off 
 before the wind with her antagonist, and by this manoeuvre 
 they cleared themselves of the smoke which so incommoded 
 them ; and, having good way on the two vessels, they then 
 rounded to so as to get on the other tack, and bring the 
 Spaniard to leeward. This gave them a manifest advan- 
 tage, and soon terminated the conflict. The smoke and 
 flames were beat back on the Spanish vessel — the fire 
 which had communicated to the Dort was extinguished — 
 the Spaniards were no longer able to prosecute their en- 
 deavours to fasten the two vessels together, and retreated 
 to within the bulwarks of their own vessel ; and, after great 
 exertions, the Dort was disengaged, and forged ahead of 
 her opponent, who was soon enveloped in a sheet of flame. 
 The corvette remained a few cables' length to windward, 
 occasionally firing a gun. Philip poured in a broadside, 
 and she hauled down her colours. The action might now 
 be considered at an end, and the object was to save the 
 crew of the burning frigate. The boats of the Dort were 
 hoisted out, but only two of them could swim. One of 
 them was immediately despatched to the corvette, with 
 
The Phantom Ship 223 
 
 orders for her to send all her boats to the assistance of the 
 frigate, which was done, and the major part of the surviv- 
 ing crew were saved. For two hours the guns of the 
 frigate, as they were heated by the flames, discharged 
 themselves ; and then, the fire having communicated to the 
 magazine, she blew up, and the remainder of her hull sank 
 slowly and disappeared. Among the prisoners in the 
 uniform of the Spanish service Philip perceived the two 
 pretended passengers, this proving the correctness of the 
 negro's statement. The two men-of-war had been sent 
 out of Lima on purpose to intercept him, anticipating, with 
 such a preponderating force, an easy victory. After some 
 consultation with Krantz, Philip agreed that, as the corvette 
 was in such a crippled state, and the nations were not 
 actually at war, it would be advisable to release her with 
 all the prisoners. This was done, and the Dort again 
 made sail for Batavia, and anchored in the roads three 
 weeks after the combat had taken place. He found the 
 remainder of the fleet, which had been despatched before 
 them, and had arrived there some weeks, had taken in 
 their cargoes, and were ready to sail for Holland. Philip 
 wrote his despatches, in which he communicated to the 
 directors the events of the voyage; and then went on 
 shore, to reside at the house of the merchant who had 
 formerly received him, until the Dort could be freighted 
 for her voyage home. 
 
 Chapter XX 
 
 We must return to Amine, who is seated on the mossy 
 bank where she and Philip conversed when they were in- 
 terrupted by Schriften the pilot. She is in deep thought, 
 with her eyes cast down, as if trying to recall the past. 
 ** Alas ! for my mother's power," exclaimed she ; " but it 
 is gone — gone for ever ! This torment and suspense I 
 cannot bear — those foolish priests too ! " And Amine rose 
 from the bank and walked towards her cottage. 
 
224 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Father Mathias had not returned to Lisbon. At first he 
 had not found an opportunity, and afterwards, his debt of 
 gratitude towards Philip induced him to remain by Amine, 
 who appeared each day to hold more in aversion the tenets 
 of the Christian faith. Many and many were the consulta- 
 tions with Father Seysen, many were the exhortations of 
 both the good old men to Amine, who, at times, would 
 listen without reply, and at others, argue boldly against 
 them. It appeared to them that she rejected their religion 
 with an obstinacy as unpardonable as it was incompre- 
 hensible. But to her the case was more simple : she 
 refused to believe, she said, that which she could not 
 understand. She went so far as to acknowledge the beauty 
 of the principles, the purity of the doctrine ; but when the 
 good priests would enter into the articles of their faith. 
 Amine would either shake her head or attempt to turn the 
 conversation. This only increased the anxiety of the good 
 Father Mathias to convert and save the soul of one so young 
 and beautiful ; and he now no longer thought of returning 
 to Lisbon, but devoted his whole time to the instruction of 
 Amine, who, wearied by his incessant importunities, almost 
 loathed his presence. 
 
 Upon reflection, it will not appear surprising that Amine 
 rejected a creed so dissonant to her wishes and intentions. 
 The human mind is of that proud nature, that it requires 
 all its humility to be called into action before it will bow, 
 even to the Deity. 
 
 Amine knew that her mother had possessed superior 
 knowledge, and an intimacy with unearthly intelligences. 
 She had seen her practise her art with success, although so 
 young at the time that she could not now call to mind the 
 mystic preparations by which her mother had succeeded in 
 her wishes ; and it was now that her thoughts were wholly 
 bent upon recovering what she had forgotten, that Father 
 Mathias was exhorting her to a creed which positively 
 forbade even the attempt. The peculiar and awful 
 mission of her husband strengthened her opinion in the 
 lawfulness of calling in the aid of supernatural agencies j 
 
The Phantom Ship 225 
 
 and the arguments brought forward by these worthy, but 
 not over-talented, professors of the Christian creed, had but 
 Httle effect upon a mind so strong and so decided as that of 
 Amine — a mind which, bent as it was upon one object, 
 rejected with scorn tenets, in proof of which they could 
 offer no visible manifestation, and which would have 
 bound her blindly to believe what appeared to her contrary 
 to common sense. That her mother's art could bring 
 evidence of its truth she had already shown, and satisfied 
 herself in the effect of the dream which she had proved 
 upon Philip ; — but what proof could they bring forward ? 
 — Records — ivhich they ijuould not permit her to read I 
 
 ** Oh ! that I had my mother's art," repeated Amine 
 once more, as she entered the cottage; "then would I 
 know where my Philip was at this moment. Oh ! for the 
 black mirror in which I used to peer at her command, and 
 tell her what passed in array before me. How well do 
 I remember that time — the time of my father's absence, 
 when I looked into the liquid on the palm of my hand, and 
 told her of the Bedouin camp — of the skirmish — the horse 
 without a rider — and the turban on the sand ! " And again 
 Amine fell into deep thought. " Yes," cried she, after a 
 time, " thou canst assist me, mother ! Give me in a dream 
 thy knowledge ; thy daughter begs it as a boon. Let me 
 think again. The word — what was the word ? what was 
 the name of the spirit — Turshoon ? Yes, methinks it was 
 Turshoon. Mother ! mother ! help your daughter." 
 
 ** Dost thou call upon the Blessed Virgin, my child ?" 
 said Father Mathias, who had entered the room as she pro- 
 nounced the last words. " If so, thou dost well, for she 
 may appear to thee in thy dreams, and strengthen thee in 
 the true faith." 
 
 ** I called upon my own mother, who is in the land of 
 spirits, good father," replied Amine. 
 
 " Yes ; but, as an infidel ; not, I fear, in the land of the 
 blessed spirits, my child." 
 
 " She hardly will be punished for following the creed of 
 her fathers, living where she did, where no other creed 
 p.s. p 
 
226 The Phantom Ship 
 
 was known ? " replied Amine, indignantly. " If the good 
 on earth are blessed in the next world — if she had, as you 
 assert she had, a soul to be saved — an immortal spirit — He 
 who made that spirit will not destroy it because she 
 worshipped as her fathers did. — Her life was good : why 
 should she be punished for ignorance of that creed which 
 she never had an opportunity of rejecting ? " 
 
 " Who shall dispute the will of Heaven, my child ? Be 
 thankful that you are permitted to be instructed, and to be 
 received into the bosom of the holy church." 
 
 "I am thankful for many things, father ; but I am 
 weary, and must wish you a good-night." 
 
 Amine retired to her room — but not to sleep. Once 
 more did she attempt the ceremonies used by her mother, 
 changing them each time, as doubtful of her success. 
 Again the censer was lighted — the charm essayed ; again 
 the room was filled with smoke as she threw in the various 
 herbs which she had knowledge of, for all the papers 
 thrown aside at her father's death had been carefully 
 collected, and on many were directions found as to the use 
 of those herbs. " The word ! the word ! I have the first 
 — the second word ! Help me, mother ! " cried Amine, as 
 she sat by the side of the bed, in the room, which was now 
 so full of smoke that nothing could be distinguished. " It 
 is of no use," thought she at last, letting her hands fall at 
 her side ; " I have forgotten the art. Mother ! mother ! 
 help me in my dreams this night." 
 
 The smoke gradually cleared away, and, when Amine 
 lifted up her eyes, she perceived a figure standing before 
 her. At first she thought she had been successful in her 
 charm 5 but, as the figure became more distinct, she per- 
 ceived that it was Father Mathias, who was looking at her 
 with a severe frown and contracted brow, his arms folded 
 before him. 
 
 " Unholy child ! what dost thou ?" 
 
 Amine had roused the suspicions of the priests, not only 
 by her conversation, but by several attempts which she had 
 before made to recover her lost art ; and on one occasion, 
 
The Phantom Ship 227 
 
 in which she had defended it, both Father Mathias and 
 Father Seysen had poured out the bitterest anathemas 
 upon her, or anyone who had resort to such practices. 
 The smell of the fragrant herbs thrown into the censer, and 
 the smoke, which afterwards had escaped through the door 
 and ascended the stairs, had awakened the suspicions of 
 Father Mathias, and he had crept up silently, and entered 
 the room without her perceiving it. Amine at once per- 
 ceived her danger. Had she been single, she would have 
 dared the priest ; but, for Philip's sake, she determined to 
 mislead him. 
 
 "I do no wrong, father," replied she, calmly; **but it 
 appears to me not seemly that you should enter the 
 chamber of a young woman during her husband's absence. 
 I might have been in my bed. It is a strange intrusion." 
 
 " Thou canst not mean this, woman ! My age — my 
 profession — are a sufficient warranty," replied Father 
 Mathias, somewhat confused at this unexpected attack. 
 
 " Not always. Father, if what I have been told of monks 
 and priests be true," replied Amine. ** I ask again, 
 why comest thou here into an unprotected woman's 
 chamber ? " 
 
 " Because I felt convinced that she was practising unholy 
 arts." 
 
 " Unholy arts ! — what mean you ? Is the leech's skill 
 unholy ? is it unholy to administer relief to those who 
 suffer ? — to charm the fever and the ague which rack the 
 limbs of those who live in this unwholesome climate ^ " 
 
 ** All charms are most unholy." 
 
 " When I said charms. Father, I meant not what you 
 mean ; I simply would have said a remedy. If a know- 
 ledge of certain wonderful herbs, which, properly com- 
 bined will form a specific to ease the suffering wretch — an 
 art well known unto my mother, and which I now would 
 fain recall — if that knowledge, or a wish to regain that 
 knowledge, be unholy, then are you correct." 
 
 I heard thee call upon thy mother for her help." 
 
 I did, for she well knew the ingredients ; but I, I fear 
 
 (< 
 
228 The Phantom Ship 
 
 have not the knowledge that she had. Is that sinful, good 
 Father ? " 
 
 **'Tis, then, a remedy that you would find?" replied 
 the priest ; ** I thought that thou didst practise that which 
 is most unlawful." 
 
 " Can the burning of a few weeds be then unlawful ^ 
 "What did you expect to find ? Look you, Father, at these 
 ashes — they may, with oil, be rubbed into the pores and 
 give relief — but can they do more ? What do you expect 
 from them — a ghost ? — a spirit ? — like the prophet raised 
 for the King of Israel ? " And Amine laughed aloud. 
 
 ** I am perplexed, but not convinced," replied the 
 priest. 
 
 " I, too, am perplexed and not convinced," responded 
 Amine, scornfully. " I cannot satisfy myself that a man 
 of your discretion could really suppose that there was 
 mischief in burning weeds ; nor am I convinced that such 
 was the occasion of your visit at this hour of the night to 
 a lone woman's chamber. There may be natural charms 
 more powerful than those you call supernatural. I pray 
 you. Father, leave this chamber. It is not seemly. Should 
 you again presume, you leave the house. I thought better 
 of you. In future, I will not be left at any time alone." 
 
 This attack of Amine's upon the reputation of the old 
 priest was too severe. Father Mathias immediately quitted 
 the room, saying, as he went out, " May God forgive you 
 for your false suspicions and great injustice ! I came here 
 for the cause I have stated, and no more." 
 
 " Yes ! " soliloquised Amine, as the door closed, " I 
 know you did ; but I must rid myself of your unwelcome 
 company. I will have no spy upon my actions — no 
 meddler to thwart me in my will. In your zeal you have 
 committed yourself, and I will take the advantage you have 
 given me. Is not the privacy of a woman's chamber to be 
 held sacred by you sacred men ? In return for assistance 
 in distress — for food and shelter — you would become a 
 spy. How grateful, and how worthy of the creed which 
 you profess ! " Amine opened her door as soon as she had 
 
The Phantom Ship 229 
 
 removed the censer, and summoned one of the women of 
 the house to stay that night in her room, stating that the 
 priest had entered her chamber, and she did not hke the 
 intrusion. 
 
 " Holy father ! is it possible ? " replied the woman. 
 
 Amine made no reply, but went to bed j but Father 
 Mathias heard all that passed as he paced the room below. 
 The next day he called upon Father Seysen, and com- 
 municated to him what had occurred, and the false 
 suspicions of Amine. 
 
 " You have acted hastily," replied Father Seysen, " to 
 visit a woman's chamber at such an hour of the night." 
 
 " I had my suspicions, good Father Seysen." 
 
 " And she will have hers. She is young and beautiful." 
 
 **Now, by the Blessed Virgin " 
 
 " I absolve you, good Mathias," replied Father Seysen j 
 *'but still, if known, it would occasion much scandal to 
 our church." 
 
 And . known it soon was ; for the woman who had 
 been summoned by Amine did not fail to mention the 
 circumstance ; and Father Mathias found himself every- 
 where so coldly received, and, besides, so ill at ease with 
 himself, that he very soon afterwards quitted the country, 
 and returned to Lisbon ; angry with himself for his im- 
 prudence, but still more angry with Amine for her unjust 
 suspicions. 
 
 Chapter XXI 
 
 The cargo of the Dort was soon ready, and Philip sailed 
 and arrived at Amsterdam without any further adventure. 
 That he reached his cottage, and was received with delight 
 by Amine, need hardly be said. She had been expecting 
 him ; for the two ships of the squadron, which had sailed 
 on his arrival at Batavia, and which had charge of his 
 despatches, had, of course, carried letters to her from 
 Philip, the first letters she had ever received from him 
 
230 The Phantom Ship 
 
 during his voyages. Six weeks after the letters Philip 
 himself made his appearance, and Amine was happy. 
 The directors were, of course, highly satisfied with 
 Philip's conduct, and he was appointed to the command 
 of a large armed ship, which was to proceed to India in 
 the spring, and one-third of which, according to agreement, 
 was purchased by Philip out of the funds which he had 
 in the hands of the Company. He had now five months 
 of quiet and repose to pass away, previous to his once 
 more trusting to the elements ; and this time, as it was 
 agreed, he had to make arrangements on board for the 
 reception of Amine. 
 
 Amine narrated to Philip what had occurred between 
 her and the priest Mathias, and by what means she had 
 rid herself of his unwished-for surveillance. 
 
 " And were you practising your mother's arts. Amine ? " 
 
 " Nay, not practising them, for I could not recall them, 
 but I was trying to recover them." 
 
 "Why so, Amine? this must not be. It is, as the 
 good father said, * unholy.' Promise me you will abandon 
 them, now and for ever." 
 
 " If that act be unholy, Philip, so is your mission. You 
 would deal and co-operate with the spirits of another 
 world — I would do no more. Abandon your terrific 
 mission — abandon your seeking after disembodied spirits — 
 stay at home with your Amine, and she will cheerfully 
 comply with your request." 
 
 ** Mine is an awful summons from the Most High." 
 
 " Then the Most High permits your communion with 
 those who are not of this world ? " 
 
 ** He does ; you know even the priests do not gainsay 
 it, although they shudder at the very thought." 
 
 " If then He permits to one. He will to another ; nay, 
 aught that I can do is but with His permission." 
 
 " Yes, Amine, so does He permit evil to stalk on the 
 earth, but He countenances it not." 
 
 " He countenances your seeking after your doomed 
 father, your attempts to meet him j nay, more, He com- 
 
The Phantom Ship 231 
 
 mands it. If you are thus permitted, why may not I 
 be? I am your wife, a portion of yourself; and when 
 I am left over a desolate hearth, while you pursue your 
 course of danger, may not I appeal also to the immaterial 
 world to give me that intelligence which will soothe my 
 sorrow, lighten my burden, and which, at the same time, 
 can hurt no living creature ? Did I attempt to practise 
 these arts for evil purposes, it were just to deny them 
 me, and wrong to continue them ; but I would but follow 
 in the steps of my husband, and seek as he seeks, with 
 a good intent." 
 
 *' But it is contrary to our faith." 
 
 "Have the priests declared your mission contrary to 
 their faith ? or, if they have, have they not been convinced 
 to the contrary, and been awed to silence ? But why 
 argue, my dear Philip ? Shall I not now be with you ? 
 and while with you I will attempt no more. You have 
 my promise ; but if separated, I will not say, but I shall 
 then require of the invisible a knowledge of my husband's 
 motions, when in search of the invisible also." 
 
 The winter passed rapidly away, for it was passed by 
 Philip in quiet and happiness ; the spring came on, the 
 vessel was to be fitted out, and Philip and Amine repaired 
 to Amsterdam. 
 
 The Utrecht was the name of the vessel to which he 
 had been appointed, a ship of 400 tons, newly launched, 
 and pierced for twenty-four guns. Two more months 
 passed away, during which Philip superintended the fitting 
 and loading of the vessel, assisted by his favourite Krantz, 
 who served in her as first mate. Every convenience and 
 comfort that Philip could think of was prepared for 
 Amine j and in the month of May he started, with orders 
 to stop at Gambroon and Ceylon, run down the Straits of 
 Sumatra, and from thence to force his way into the China 
 seas, the Company having every reason to expect from 
 the Portuguese the most determined opposition to the 
 attempt. His ship's company was numerous, and he had 
 a small detachment of soldiers on board to assist the 
 
232 The Phantom Ship 
 
 supercargo, who carried out many thousand dollars to 
 make purchases at ports in China, where their goods 
 might not be appreciated. Every care had been taken 
 in the equipment of the vessel, which was perhaps 
 the finest, the best manned, and freighted with the most 
 valuable cargo, which had been sent out by the India 
 Company. 
 
 The Utrecht sailed with a flowing sheet, and was soon 
 clear of the English Channel \ the voyage promised to be 
 auspicious, favouring gales bore them without accident to 
 within a few hundred miles of the Cape of Good Hope, 
 when, for the first time, they were becalmed. Amine 
 was delighted : in the evenings she would pace the deck 
 with Philip ; then all was silent, except the splash of the 
 wave as it washed against the side of the vessel — all was 
 in repose and beauty, as the bright southern constellations 
 sparkled over their heads. 
 
 " "Whose destinies can be in these stars, which appear 
 not to those who inhabit the northern regions ? " said 
 Amine, as she cast her eyes above, and watched them in 
 their brightness; **and what does that falling meteor 
 portend ? what causes its rapid descent from heaven ? " 
 
 " Do you, then, put faith in stars, Amine ? " 
 
 " In Araby we do ; and why not ? They were not 
 spread over the sky to give light — for what then ? " 
 
 " To beautify the world. They have their uses, 
 too." 
 
 " Then you agree with me — they have their uses, and 
 the destinies of men are there concealed. My mother was 
 one of those who could read them well. Alas ! for me 
 they are a sealed book." 
 
 ** Is it not better so, Amine ? " 
 
 *' Better! — say better to grovel on this earth with our 
 selfish, humbled race, wandering in mystery, and awe, 
 and doubt, when we can communicate with the intelligences 
 above ! Does not the soul leap at her admission to confer 
 with superior powers ? Does not the proud heart bound 
 at the feeling that its owner is one of those more 
 
The Phantom Ship 233 
 
 gifted than the usual race of mortals ? Is it not a noble 
 ambition ? " 
 
 " A dangerous one — most dangerous." 
 
 " And therefore most noble. They seem as if they would 
 speak to me : look at yon bright star — it beckons to me." 
 
 For some time Amine's eyes were raised aloft ; she 
 spoke not, and Philip remained at her side. She walked 
 to the gangway of the vessel, and looked down upon the 
 placid wave, pierced by the moonbeams far below the surface. 
 
 ** And does your imagination. Amine, conjure up a race 
 of beings gifted to live beneath that deep blue wave, who 
 sport amid the coral rocks, and braid their hair with 
 pearls ? " said Philip, smiling. 
 
 "I know not, but it appears to me that it would be 
 sweet to live there. You may call to mind your dream, 
 Philip ; I was then, according to your description, one of 
 those same beings." 
 
 " You were," replied Philip, thoughtfully. 
 
 " And yet I feel as if water would reject me, even if 
 the vessel were to sink. In what manner this mortal 
 frame of mine may be resolved into its elements, I know 
 not; but this I do feel, that it never will become the 
 sport of, or be tossed by, the mocking waves. But come 
 in, Philip, dearest ; it is late, and the decks are wet with 
 dew." 
 
 When the day dawned, the look-out man at the mast- 
 head reported that he perceived something floating on the 
 still surface of the water, on the beam of the vessel. 
 Krantz went up with his glass to examine, and made it 
 out to be a small boat, probably cut adrift from some 
 vessel. As there was no appearance of wind, Philip 
 permitted a boat to be sent to examine it, and after a long 
 pull, the seamen returned on board, towing the small boat 
 astern. 
 
 " There is a body of a man in it, sir," said the second 
 mate to Krantz, as he gained the gangway ; "but whether 
 he is quite dead, or not, I cannot tell." 
 
 Krantz reported this to Philip, who was, at that time, 
 
234 Th^ Phantom Ship 
 
 sitting at breakfast with Amine in the cabin, and then 
 proceeded to the gangway, to where the body of the man 
 had been already handed up by the seamen. The surgeon, 
 who had been summoned, declared that life was not yet 
 extinct, and was ordering him to be taken below for 
 recovery, when, to their astonishment, the man turned as 
 he lay, sat up, and ultimately rose upon his feet and 
 staggered to a gun, when, after a time, he appeared to be 
 fully recovered. In reply to questions put to him, he said 
 that he was in a vessel which had been upset in a squall, 
 that he had time to cut away the small boat astern, and 
 that all the rest of the crew had perished. He had hardly 
 made this answer, when Philip with Amine came out of the 
 cabin, and walked up to where the seamen were crowded 
 round the man ; the seamen retreated so as to make an 
 opening, when Philip and Amine, to their astonishment and 
 horror, recognised their old acquaintance, the one-eyed 
 pilot Schriften. 
 
 " He ! he ! Captain Vanderdecken, I believe — glad to 
 see you in command, and you too, fair lady." 
 
 Philip turned away with a chill at his heart ; Amine's 
 eye flashed as she surveyed the wasted form of the wretched 
 creature. After a few seconds, she turned round and 
 followed Philip into the cabin, where she found him with 
 his face buried in his hands. 
 
 "Courage, Philip, courage!" said Amine; "it was 
 indeed a heavy shock, and I fear me forbodes evil — but 
 what then ; it is our destiny." 
 
 "It is — it ought perhaps to be mine," replied Philip, 
 raising his head ; " but you. Amine, why should you be a 
 partner " 
 
 ** I am your partner, Philip, in life and in death. I would 
 not die first, Philip, because it would grieve you ; but 
 your death will be the signal for mine, and I will join you 
 quickly." 
 
 ** Surely, Amine, you would not hasten your own ? " 
 
 " Yes ! and require but one moment for this little steel 
 to do its duty." 
 
The Phantom Ship 235 
 
 ** Nay ! Amine, that is not lawful — our religion forbids 
 it." 
 
 " It may do so, but I cannot tell why. I came into this 
 world without my own consent — surely I may leave it with- 
 out asking the leave of priests ! But let that pass for the 
 present : what will you do with that Schriften ? " 
 
 " Put him on shore at the Cape ; I cannot bear the 
 odious wretch's presence. Did you not feel the chill, as 
 before, when you approached him ? " 
 
 ** I did — I knew that he was there before I saw him ; but 
 still, I know not why, I feel as if I would not send him 
 away." 
 
 " Why not .? " 
 
 ** I believe it is because I am inclined to brave destiny, 
 not to quail at it. The wretch can do no harm." 
 
 " Yes, he can — much : he can render the ship's company 
 mutinous and disaffected ; — besides, he attempted to deprive 
 me of my relic." 
 
 " I almost wish he had done so ; then must you have 
 discontinued this wild search." 
 
 " Nay, Amine, say not so ; it is my duty, and I have 
 taken my solemn oath " 
 
 " But this Schriften — you cannot well put him ashore 
 at the Cape ; being a Company's officer, you might send 
 him home if you found a ship there homeward-bound; 
 still, were I you, I would let destiny work. He is woven 
 in with ours, that is certain. Courage, Philip, and let him 
 remain." 
 
 " Perhaps you are right. Amine ; I may retard, but 
 cannot escape, whatever may be my intended fate." 
 
 "Let him remain, then, and let him do his worst. 
 Treat him with kindness — who knows what we may gain 
 from him ? " 
 
 **True, true, Amine; he has been my enemy without 
 cause. Who can tell ? — perhaps he may become my 
 friend." 
 
 " And if not, you will have done your duty. Send for 
 him now." 
 
236 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " No, not now — to-morrow ; in the meantime, I will 
 order him every comfort." 
 
 "We are talking as if he were one of us, which I feel 
 that he is not," replied Amine ; *' but still, mundane or 
 not, we cannot but offer mundane kindness, and what this 
 world, or rather what this ship affords. I long now to 
 talk with him, to see if I can produce any effect upon his 
 ice-like frame. Shall I make love to the ghoul ? " and 
 Amine burst into a bitter laugh. 
 
 Here the conversation dropped, but its substance was 
 not disregarded. The next morning, the surgeon having 
 reported that Schriften was apparently quite recovered, he 
 was summoned into the cabin. His frame was wasted 
 away to a skeleton, but his motions and his language were 
 as sharp and petulant as ever. 
 
 "I have sent for you, Schriften, to know if there is 
 anything that I can do to make you more comfortable. 
 Is there anything that you want ? " 
 
 " Want ? " replied Schriften, eyeing first Philip and then 
 Amine. — " He ! he ! I think I want filling out a little." 
 
 " That you will, I trust, in good time ; my steward has 
 my orders to take care of you." 
 
 "Poor man," said Amine, with a look of pity, "how 
 much he must have suffered ! Is not this the man who 
 brought you the letter from the Company, Philip ? " 
 
 " He ! he ! yes ! Not very welcome, was it, lady ? " 
 
 " No, my good fellow, it's never a welcome message to 
 a wife, that sends her husband away from her. But that 
 was not your fault." 
 
 " If a husband will go to sea and leave a handsome wife, 
 when he has, as they say, plenty of money to live upon on 
 shore, he ! he ! " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, you may well say that," replied Amine. 
 
 " Better give it up. All folly, all madness — eh, cap- 
 tain?" 
 
 " I must finish this voyage, at all events," replied Philip 
 to Amine, " whatever I may do afterwards. I have 
 suffered much, and so have you, Schriften. You have 
 
The Phantom Ship lyj 
 
 been twice wrecked ; now tell me what do you wish to do ? 
 Go home in the first ship, or go ashore at the Cape — 
 or " 
 
 " Or do anything, so I get out of this ship — he ! he ! " 
 
 ** Not so. If you prefer sailing with me, as I know you 
 are a good seaman, you shall have your rating and pay of 
 pilot — that is, if you choose to follow my fortunes." 
 
 " Follow ? — Must follow. Yes ! I'll sail with you, 
 Mynheer Vanderdecken, I wish to be always near you — 
 he! he!" 
 
 "Be it so, then : as soon as you are strong again, you 
 will go to your duty ; till then, I will see that you want 
 for nothing." 
 
 " Nor I, my good fellow. Come to me if you do, and 
 I will be your help," said Amine. ** You have suffered 
 much, but we will do what we can to make you forget 
 it." 
 
 " Very good ! very kind ! " replied Schriften, surveying 
 the lovely face and figure of Amine. After a time, shrug- 
 ging up his shoulders, he added — " A pity ! Yes it is ! — 
 Must be, though." 
 
 ** Farewell," continued Amine, holding out her hand to 
 Schriften. 
 
 The man took it, and a cold shudder went to her heart ; 
 but she, expecting such a result, would not appear to feel 
 it. Schriften held her hand for a second or two in his 
 own, looking at it earnestly, and then at Amine's face. — 
 " So fair, so good I Mynheer Vanderdecken, I thank you. 
 Lady, may Heaven preserve you ! " — Then, squeezing the 
 hand of Amine which he had not released, Schriften 
 hastened out of the cabin. 
 
 So great was the sudden icy shock which passed 
 through Amine's frame when Schriften pressed her hand, 
 that when with difficulty she gained the sofa she fell 
 upon it. After remaining with her hand pressed against 
 her heart for some time, during which Philip bent over 
 her, she said in a breathless voice, " That creature must be 
 supernatural, I am sure of it, I am now convinced. — Well," 
 
238 The Phantom Ship 
 
 continued she, after a pause of some little while, " all the 
 better, if we can make him a friend ; and if I can I 
 will." 
 
 " But think you. Amine, that those who are not of this 
 world have feelings of kindness, gratitude, and ill-will, as 
 we have ? Can they be made subservient ? " 
 
 " Most surely so. If they have ill-will, as we know 
 they have, they must also be endowed with the better 
 feelings. Why are there good and evil intelligences ? 
 They may have disencumbered themselves of their mortal 
 clay, but the soul must be the same. A soul without 
 feeling were no soul at all. The soul is active in this 
 world and must be so in the next. If angels can pity, 
 they must feel like us. If demons can vex, they must 
 feel like us. Our feelings change, then why not theirs ? 
 Without feelings, there were no heaven, no hell. Here 
 our souls are confined, cribbed, and overladen, borne 
 down by the heavy flesh by which they are, for the time, 
 polluted ; but the soul that has winged its flight from clay 
 is, I think, not one jot more pure, more bright, or more 
 perfect than those within ourselves. Can they be made 
 subservient, say you ! Yes ! they can ; they can be forced, 
 when mortals possess the means and power. The evil- 
 inclined may be forced to good, as well as to evil. It is 
 not the good and perfect spirits that we subject by art, 
 but those that are inclined to wrong. It is over them that 
 mortals have the power. Our arts have no power over the 
 perfect spirits, but over those which are ever working evil, 
 and which are bound to obey and do good, if those who 
 master them require it." 
 
 " You still resort to forbidden arts, Amine. Is that 
 right?" 
 
 " Right ! If we have power given to us, it is right to 
 use it." 
 
 ** Yes, most certainly, for good — but not for evil." 
 
 " Mortals in power, possessing nothing but what is 
 mundane, are answerable for the use of that power; so 
 those gifted by superior means, are answerable as they 
 
The Phantom Ship 239 
 
 employ those means. Does the God above make a flower 
 to grow, intending that it should not be gathered ? No ! 
 neither does He allow supernatural aid to be given, if He 
 did not intend that mortals should avail themselves of it." 
 
 As Amine's eyes beamed upon Philip's, he could not for 
 the moment subdue the idea rising in his mind, that she 
 was not like other mortals, and he calmly observed, 
 " Am I sure, Amine, that I am wedded to one mortal as 
 myself?" 
 
 " Yes ! yes ! Philip, compose yourself, I am but mortal; 
 would to Heaven I were not. Would to Heaven I were 
 one of those who could hover over you, watch you in all 
 your perils, save and protect you in this your mad career ; 
 but I am but a poor weak woman, whose heart beats 
 fondly, devotedly for you — who, for you, would dare all 
 and everything — who, changed in her nature, has become 
 courageous and daring from her love ; and who rejects all 
 creeds which would prevent her from calling upon heaven, 
 or earth, or hell, to assist her in retaining with her her 
 soul's existence ? " 
 
 **Nay! nay! Amine, say not you reject the creed. 
 Does not this," — and Philip pulled from his bosom the 
 holy relic, " does not this, and the message sent by it, 
 prove our creed is true ? " 
 
 " I have thought much of it, Philip. At first it startled 
 me almost into a belief, but even your own priests helped 
 to undeceive me. They would not answer you ; they 
 would have left you to guide yourself; the message and 
 the holy word, and the wonderful signs given were not in 
 unison with their creed, and they halted. May I not halt, 
 if they did ? The relic may be as mystic, as powerful as 
 you describe ; but the agencies may be false and wicked, 
 the power given to it may have fallen into wrong hands — 
 the power remains the same, but it is applied to uses not 
 intended." 
 
 "The power. Amine, can only be exercised by those 
 who are friends to Him who died upon it." 
 
 ** Then is it no power at all ; or if a power, not half so 
 
240 The Phantom Ship 
 
 great as that of the arch-fiend ; for his can work for good 
 and evil both. But on this point, dear Philip, we do not 
 well agree, nor can we convince each other. You have 
 been taught in one way, I another. That which our 
 childhood has imbibed, which has grown up with our 
 growth, and strengthened with our years, is not to be 
 eradicated. I have seen my mother work great charms, 
 and succeed. You have knelt to priests : I blame not you f 
 — blame not then your Amine. We both mean well — I 
 trust, do well." 
 
 " If a life of innocence and purity were all that were 
 required, my Amine would be sure of future bliss." 
 
 *' I think it is ; and thinking so, it is my creed. There 
 are many creeds : who shall say which is the true one ? 
 And what matters it ? they all have the same end in view 
 — a future Heaven." 
 
 " True, Amine, true," replied Philip, pacing the cabin 
 thoughtfully ; ** and yet our priests say otherwise." 
 
 " What is the basis of their creed, Philip ? " 
 
 " Charity, and good-will." 
 
 "Does charity condemn to eternal misery those who 
 have never heard this creed, who have lived and died 
 worshipping the Great Being after their best endeavours,, 
 and little knowledge ? " 
 
 "No, surely." 
 
 Amine made no further observations ; and Philip, after 
 pacing for a few minutes in deep thought, walked out of 
 the cabin. 
 
 The Utrecht arrived at the Cape, watered, and proceeded 
 on her voyage and, after two months of difficult navigation, 
 cast anchor off Gambroon. During this time, Amine had 
 been unceasing in her attempts to gain the good-will of 
 Schriften. She had often conversed with him on deck,, 
 and had done him every kindness, and had overcome that 
 fear which his near approach had generally occasioned. 
 Schriften gradually appeared mindful of this kindness, and 
 at last to be pleased with Amine's company. To Philip he 
 was at times civil and courteous, but not always \ but to 
 
The Phantom Ship 241 
 
 Amine he was always deferent. His language was 
 mystical, she could not prevent his chuckling laugh, his 
 occasional " He ! he ! " from breaking forth. But when 
 they anchored at Gambroon, he was on such terms with 
 her, that he would occasionally come into the cabin ; and, 
 although he would not sit down, would talk to Amine for 
 a few minutes, and then depart. While the vessel lay at 
 anchor at Gambroon, Schriften one evening walked up to 
 Amine, who was sitting on the poop. " Lady," said he, 
 after a pause, " yon ship sails for your own country in a 
 few days." 
 
 ** So I am told," replied Amine. 
 
 " "Will you take the advice of one who wishes you 
 well ? Return in that vessel, go back to your own 
 cottage, and stay there till your husband comes to you 
 once more." 
 
 " Why is this advice given ? " 
 
 ** Because I forbode danger, nay, perhaps death, a 
 cruel death, to one I would not harm." 
 
 " To me ! " replied Amine, fixing her eyes upon 
 Schriften, and meeting his piercing gaze. 
 
 ** Yes, to you. Some people can see into futurity 
 farther than others." 
 
 " Not if they are mortal," replied Amine. 
 
 " Yes, if they are mortal. But mortal or not, I do see 
 that which I would avert. Tempt not destiny farther." 
 
 " Who can avert it ? If I take your counsel, still was 
 it my destiny to take your counsel. If I take it not, still 
 it was my destiny." 
 
 " Weil, then, avoid what threatens you." 
 
 *« I fear not, yet do I thank yon. Tell me, Schriften, 
 hast thou not thy fate someway interwoven with that 
 of my husband ? I feel that thou hast." 
 
 ** Why think you so, lady ? " 
 
 "For many reasons: twice you have summoned him, 
 twice have you been wrecked, and miraculously re- 
 appeared and recovered. You know, too, of his mission, 
 that is evident." 
 
 P.S. Q 
 
242 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " But proves nothing." 
 
 ** Yes ! it proves much ; for it proves that you knew 
 what was supposed to be known but to him alone." 
 
 " It was known to you, and holy men debated on it," 
 replied Schriften with a sneer. 
 
 "How knew you that, again ?" 
 
 " He ! he ! " replied Schriften ; " forgive me, lady, I 
 meant not to affront you." 
 
 " You cannot deny that you are connected mysteriously 
 and incomprehensibly with this mission of my husband's. 
 Tell me, is it as he believes, true and holy ? " 
 
 " If he thinks that it is true and holy, it becomes so." 
 
 ** Why then do you appear his enemy ? " 
 
 ** I am not his enemy, fair lady." 
 
 " You are not his enemy — why then did you once 
 attempt to deprive him of the mystic relic by which the 
 mission is to be accomplished ? " 
 
 ** I would prevent his further search, for reasons which 
 must not be told. Does that prove that I am his enemy } 
 Would it not be better that he should remain on shore 
 with competence and you, than be crossing the wild seas 
 on this mad search ? Without the relic it is not to be 
 accomplished. It were a kindness, then, to take it from 
 him." 
 
 Amine answered not, for she was lost in thought. 
 
 ** Lady," continued Schriften, after a time ; ** I wish you 
 well. For your husband I care not, yet do I wish him 
 no harm. Now hear me; if you wish for your future 
 life to be one of ease and peace — if you wish to remain 
 long in this world with the husband of your choice — of 
 your first and warmest love — if you wish that he should 
 die in his bed at a good old age, and that you should 
 close his eyes with children's tears lamenting, and their 
 smiles reserved to cheer their mother — all this I see and 
 can promise is in futurity, if you will take that relic from 
 his bosom and give it up to me. But if you would that 
 he should suffer more than man has ever suffered, pass 
 his whole life in doubt, anxiety, and pain, until the deep 
 
The Phantom Ship 243 
 
 wave receive his corpse, then let him keep it — If you 
 would that your own days be shortened, and yet those 
 remaining be long in human sufferings, if you would be 
 separated from him and die a cruel death, then let him 
 keep it. I can read futurity, and such must be the 
 destiny of both. Lady, consider well, I must leave you 
 now. To-morrow I will have your answer." 
 
 Schriften walked away and left Amine to her own re- 
 flections. For a long while she repeated to herself the 
 conversation and denunciations of the man, whom she 
 was now convinced was not of this world, and was in 
 some way or another deeply connected with her husband's 
 fate. " To me he wishes well, no harm to my husband, 
 and would prevent his search. Why would he ? — that 
 he will not tell. He has tempted me, tempted me most 
 strangely. How easy 'twere to take the relic whilst Philip 
 sleeps upon my bosom — but how treacherous ! And yet 
 a life of competence and ease, a smiling family, a good 
 aid age ; what offers to a fond and doting wife I And 
 if not, toil, anxiety, and a watery grave ; and for rne ! 
 Pshaw ! that's nothing. And yet to die separated from 
 Philip, is that nothing ? Oh, no, the thought is dreadful. 
 — I do believe him. Yes, he has foretold the future, 
 and told it truly. Could I persuade Philip ? No ! I 
 know him well ; he has vowed, and is not to be changed. 
 And yet, if the relic were taken without his knowledge, 
 he would not have to blame himself. Who then would 
 he blame ? Could I deceive him ? I, the wife of his 
 bosom tell a lie. No ! no ! it must not be. Come what 
 will, it is our destiny, and I am resigned. I would that 
 Schriften had not spoken. Alas ! we search into futurity, 
 and then would fain retrace our steps, and wish we had 
 remained in ignorance." 
 
 ** What makes you so pensive. Amine ? " said Philip, who 
 some time afterwards walked up to where she was seated. 
 
 Amine replied not at first. ** Shall I tell him all ? " 
 thought she. "It is my only chance — I will." Amine 
 repeated the conversation between her and Schriften. 
 
244 '^^^ Phantom Ship 
 
 Philip made no reply; he sat down by Amine and took 
 her hand. Amine dropped her head upon her husband's 
 shoulder. " What think you, Amine ? " said Philip, after 
 a time. 
 
 " I could not steal your relic, Philip ; perhaps you'll give 
 it to me." 
 
 " And my father, Amine, my poor father — his dreadful 
 doom to be eternal ! He who appealed, was permitted to 
 appeal to his son, that that dreadful doom might be averted. 
 Does not the conversation of this man prove to you that 
 my mission is not false ? Does not his knowledge of it 
 strengthen all ? Yet, why would he prevent it ? " con^ 
 tinued Philip, musing. 
 
 " Why, I cannot tell, Philip, but I would fain prevent 
 it. I feel that he has power to read the future, and has 
 read aright." 
 
 "Be it so ; he has spoken, but not plainly. He has 
 promised me what I have long been prepared for — what 
 I vowed to Heaven to suffer. Already have I suffered 
 much, and am prepared to suffer more. I have long 
 looked upon this world as a pilgrimage, and (selected as I 
 have been) trust that my reward will be in the other. 
 But, Amine, you are not bound by oath to Heaven, you 
 have made no compact. He advised you to go home. 
 He talked of a cruel death. Follow his advice and 
 avoid it." 
 
 " I am not bound by oath, Philip ; but hear me ; as I 
 hope for future bliss, I now bind myself " 
 
 " Hold, Amine ! " 
 
 "Nay, Philip, you cannot prevent me; for if you do 
 now, I will repeat it when you are absent. A cruel death 
 were a charity to me, for I shall not see you suffer. Then 
 may I never expect future bliss, may eternal misery be my 
 portion, if I leave you as long as fate permits us to be 
 together. I am yours — your wife; my fortunes, my 
 present, my future, my all are embarked with you, and 
 destiny may do its worst, for Amine will not quail. I have 
 no recreant heart to turn aside from danger or from suffer- 
 
The Phantom Ship 245 
 
 ing. In that one point, Philip, at least, you chose, you 
 wedded well." 
 
 Philip raised her hand to his lips in silence, and the con- 
 versation was not resumed. The next evening, Schriften 
 came up again to Amine. " Well, lady ? " said he. 
 
 "Schriften, it cannot be," replied Amine; "yet do I 
 thank you much." 
 
 ** Lady, if he must follow up his mission, why should 
 you?" 
 
 " Schriften, I am his wife — his for ever, in this world, 
 and the next. You cannot blame me." 
 
 " No," replied Schriften, ** I do not blame, I admire you. 
 I feel sorry. But, after all, what is death ? Nothing. 
 He! he!" and Schriften hastened away, and left Amine 
 to herself. 
 
 Chapter XXII 
 
 The Utrecht sailed from Gambroon, touched at Ceylon, and 
 proceeded on her voyage in the Eastern Seas. Schriften 
 still remained on board, but since his last conversation with 
 Amine he had kept aloof, and appeared to avoid both her 
 and Philip •, still there was not, as before, any attempt to 
 make the ship's company disaffected, nor did he indulge in 
 his usual taunts and sneers. The communication he had 
 made to Amine had also its effect upon her and Philip ; 
 they were more pensive and thoughtful ; each attempted 
 to conceal their gloom from the other ; and when they 
 embraced, it was with the mournful feeling that perhaps it 
 was an indulgence they would soon be deprived of : at the 
 same time, they steeled their hearts to endurance and pre- 
 pared to meet the worst. Krantz wondered at the change, 
 but of course could not account for it. The Utrecht was 
 not far from the Andaman Isles, when Krantz, who had 
 watched the barometer, came in early one morning and 
 called Philip. 
 
246 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " We have every prospect of a typhoon, sir," said 
 Krantz ; " the glass and the weather are both threatening.'* 
 
 " Then we must make all snug. Send down top-gallant 
 yards and small sails directly. We will strike top-gallant 
 masts. I will be out in a minute.'* 
 
 Philip hastened on deck. The sea was smooth, but 
 already the moaning of the wind gave notice of the ap- 
 proaching storm. The vacuum in the air was about to be 
 filled up, and the convulsion would be terrible ; a white 
 haze gathered fast, thicker and thicker ; the men were 
 turned up, everything of weight was sent below, and the 
 guns were secured. Now came a blast of wind which 
 careened the ship, passed over, and in a minute she righted 
 as before; then another and another, fiercer and fiercer 
 still. The sea, although smooth, at last appeared white 
 as a sheet with foam, as the typhoon swept along in its 
 impetuous career ; it burst upon the vessel, which bowed 
 down to her gunwale and there remained j in a quarter of an 
 hour the hurricane had passed over, and the vessel was 
 relieved ; but the sea had risen, and the wind was strong. 
 In another hour the blast again came, more wild, more 
 furious than the first, the waves were dashed into their 
 faces, torrents of rain descended, the ship was thrown on 
 her beam ends, and thus remained till the wild blast had 
 passed away, to sweep destruction far beyond them, leaving 
 behind it a tumultuous angry sea. 
 
 " It is nearly over I believe, sir," said Krantz. " It i& 
 clearing up a little to windward." 
 
 " We have had the worst of it, I believe," said Philip. 
 
 " No ! there is worse to come," said a low voice near to 
 Philip. It was Schriften who spoke. 
 
 ** A vessel to windward scudding before the gale," cried 
 Krantz. 
 
 Philip looked to windward, and in the spot where the 
 horizon was clearest, he saw a vessel under topsails and 
 foresail, standing right down. "She is a large vessel; 
 bring me my glass." The telescope was brought from the 
 cabin, but before Philip could use it, a haze had again 
 
The Phantom Ship 247 
 
 gathered up to windward, and the vessel was not l<o be 
 seen. 
 
 "Thick again," observed Philip, as he shut in his 
 telescope ; " we must look out for that vessel, that she 
 does not run too close to us." 
 
 ** She has seen us, no doubt, sir," said Krantz. 
 
 After a few minutes the typhoon again raged, and the 
 atmosphere was of a murky gloom. It seemed as if some 
 heavy fog had been hurled along by the furious wind; 
 nothing was to be distinguished except the white foam of 
 the sea, and that not the distance of half a cable's length, 
 where it was lost in one dark gray mist. The storm-stay- 
 sail yielding to the force of the wind, was rent into strips, 
 and flogged and cracked with a noise even louder than the 
 gale. The furious blast again blew over, and the mist 
 cleared up a little. 
 
 " Ship on the weather beam dose aboard of us," cried 
 one of the men. 
 
 Krantz and Philip sprung upon the gunwale, and beheld 
 the large ship bearing right down upon them, not three 
 cables' length distant. 
 
 " Helm up ! she does not see us, and she will be aboard 
 of us ! " cried Philip. " Helm up, I say, hard up, 
 quick ! " 
 
 The helm was put up, as the men, perceiving their 
 imminent danger, climbed upon the guns to look if the 
 vessel altered her course ; but no — down she came, and 
 the head-sails of the Utrecht having been carried away, 
 to their horror they perceived that she would not answer 
 her helm and pay off as they required. 
 
 " Ship, ahoy ! " roared Philip through his trumpet — but 
 the gale drove the sound back. 
 
 " Ship, ahoy ! " cried Krantz on the gunwale, waving 
 his hat. It was useless — down she came, with the waters 
 foaming under her bows, and was now within pistol-shot 
 of the Utrecht. 
 
 " Ship, ahoy ! " roared all the sailors, with a shout that 
 must have been heard : it was not attended to ; down came 
 
248 The Phantom Ship 
 
 the vessel upon them, and now her cutwater was within 
 ten yards of the Utrecht, The men of the Utrecht, who 
 expected that their vessel would be severed in half by the 
 concussion, climbed upon the weather gunwale, all ready to 
 catch at the ropes of the other vessel and climb on board 
 of her. Amine who had been surprised at the noise on 
 deck, had come out and had taken Philip by the arm. 
 
 "Trust to me — the shock" — said Philip. He said no 
 more; the cutwater of the stranger touched their sides; 
 one general cry was raised by the sailors of the Utrecht, 
 they sprang to catch at the rigging of the other vessel's 
 bowsprit which was now pointed between their masts — 
 they caught at nothing — nothing — there was no shock — 
 no concussion of the two vessels — the stranger appeared 
 to cleave through them — her hull passed along in silence — 
 no cracking of timbers — no falling of masts — the foreyard 
 passed through their mainsail, yet the canvas was unrent 
 — the whole vessel appeared to cut through the Utrecht, 
 yet left no trace of injury — not fast, but slowly, as if she 
 were really sawing through her by the heaving and tossing 
 of the sea with her sharp prow. The stranger's forechains 
 had passed their gunwale before Philip could recover him- 
 self. " Amine," cried he, at last, " the Phantom Ship ! 
 my father ! " 
 
 The seamen of the Utrecht, more astounded by the 
 marvellous result than by their former danger, threw 
 themselves down upon deck ; some hastened below, some 
 prayed, others were dumb with astonishment and fear. 
 Amine appeared more calm than any, not excepting Philip ; 
 she surveyed the vessel as it slowly forced its way through ; 
 she beheld the seamen on board of her coolly leaning over 
 her gunwale, as if deriding the destruction they had occa- 
 sioned ; she looked for Vanderdecken himself, and on the 
 poop of the vessel, with his trumpet under his arm, she 
 beheld the image of her Philip — the same hardy, strong 
 build — the same features — about the same age apparently 
 — there could be no doubt it was the doomed Vander- 
 decken I 
 
The Phantom Ship 249 
 
 " See, Philip," said she, ** see ! — your father ! '* 
 ** Even so— Merciful Heaven ! It is — it is " — and Philip, 
 overpowered by his feelings, sank upon deck. 
 
 The vessel had now passed over the Utrecht ; the form 
 of the elder Vanderdecken was seen to walk aft and look 
 over the tafFrail; Amine perceived it to start and turn 
 away suddenly — she looked down, and saw Schriften 
 shaking his fist in defiance at the supernatural being! 
 Again the Phantom Ship flew to leeward before the gale, 
 and was soon lost in the mist ; but before that, Amine had 
 turned and perceived the situation of Philip. No one but 
 herself and Schriften appeared able to act or move. She 
 caught the pilot's eye, beckoned to him, and with his 
 assistance Philip was led into the cabin. 
 
 Chapter XXIII 
 
 **I HAVE then seen him,'* said Philip, after he had lain 
 down on the sofa in the cabin for some minutes to recover 
 himself, while Amine bent over him. ** I have at last seen 
 him, Amine ! Can you doubt now ? " 
 
 "No, Philip, I have now no doubt," replied Amine, 
 mournfully ; " but take courage, Philip." 
 
 ** For myself, I want not courage — but for you, Amine 
 — you know that his appearance portends a mischief that 
 will surely come." 
 
 "Let it come," replied Amine, calmly-, "I have long 
 been prepared for it, and so have you." 
 
 " Yes, for myself; but not for you." 
 
 " You have been wrecked often, and have been saved — 
 ^en why should not I ? " 
 
 " But the sufferings ! " 
 
 " Those suffer least who have most courage to bear up 
 against them. I am but a woman, weak and frail in body, 
 but I trust I have that within me which will not make you 
 feel ashamed of Amine. No, Philip, you will have no 
 wailing, no expression of despair from Amine's lips ; if she 
 
250 The Phantom Ship 
 
 can console you, she will ; if she can assist you, she will ; 
 but, come what may, if she cannot serve you, at least, she 
 will prove no burden to you." 
 
 "Your presence in misfortune would un-nerve me. 
 Amine." 
 
 " It shall not ; it shall add to your resolution. Let fate 
 do its worst." 
 
 " Depend upon it. Amine, that will be ere long." 
 
 "Be it so," replied Amine ; "but, Philip, it were as 
 well you showed yourself on deck — the men are frightened, 
 and your absence will be observed." 
 
 " You are right," said Philip ; and rising and embracing 
 her, he left the cabin. 
 
 " It is but too true, then," thought Amine. *' Now to 
 prepare for disaster and death — the warning has come. I 
 would I could know more. Oh ! mother, mother, look 
 down upon thy child, and in a dream reveal the mystic arts 
 which I have forgotten, then should I know more ; but I 
 have promised Philip, that unless separated — yes, that idea 
 is worse than death, and I have a sad foreboding ; my 
 courage fails me only when I think of that ! " 
 
 Philip, on his return to the deck, found the crew of the 
 vessel in great consternation. Krantz himself appeared 
 bewildered — he had not forgotten the appearance of the 
 Phantom Ship off Desolation Harbour, and the vessels 
 following" her to their destruction. This second appear- 
 ance, more awful than the former, quite unmanned him; 
 and when Philip came out of the cabin, he was leaning in 
 gloomy silence against the weather bulkhead. 
 
 "We shall never reach port again, sir," said he to 
 Philip, as he came up to him. 
 
 " Silence, silence ; the men may hear you." 
 
 " It matters not — they think the same," replied Krantz. 
 
 **But they are wrong," replied Philip, turning to 
 the seamen. " My lads ! that some disaster may happen 
 to us, after the appearance of this vessel, is most probable ; 
 I have seen her before more than once, and disasters did 
 then happen; but here I am alive and well, therefore 
 
The Phantom Ship 251 
 
 it does not prove that we cannot escape as I have before 
 done. We must do our best, and trust in Heaven. The 
 gale is breaking fast, and in a few hours we shall have 
 fine weather, I have met this Phantom Ship before, and 
 care not how often I meet it again. Mr Krantz, get up 
 the spirits — the men have had hard work, and must be 
 fatigued." 
 
 The very prospect of obtaining liquor, appeared to give 
 courage to the men ; they hastened to obey the order, and 
 the quantity served out was sufficient to give courage to 
 the most fearful, and induce others to defy old Vander- 
 decken and his whole crew of imps. The next morning 
 the weather was fine, the sea smooth, and the Utrecht 
 went gaily on her voyage. 
 
 Many days of gentle breezes and favouring winds 
 gradually wore off the panic occasioned by the super- 
 natural appearance, and if not forgotten, it was referred to 
 either in jest or with indifference. They now had run 
 through the Straits of Malacca, and entered the Polynesian 
 Archipelago. Philip's orders were to refresh and call for 
 instructions at the small island of Boton, then in possession 
 of the Dutch. They arrived there in safety, and after 
 remaining two days, again sailed on their voyage, intending 
 to make their passage between the Celebes and the island 
 of Galago. The weather was still clear and the wind 
 light : they proceeded cautiously, on account of the reefs 
 and currents, and with a careful watch for the piratical 
 vessels, which have for centuries infested those seas ; but 
 they were not molested, and had gained well up among 
 the islands to the north of Galago, when it fell calm, and 
 the vessel was borne to the eastward of it by the current. 
 The calm lasted several days, and they could procure no 
 anchorage; at last they found themselves among the 
 cluster of islands near to the northern coast of New 
 Guinea. 
 
 The anchor was dropped, and the sails furled for the 
 night; a drizzling small rain came on, the weather was 
 thick, and watches were stationed in every part of the 
 
252 The Phantom Ship 
 
 ship, that they might not be surprised by the pirate proas, 
 for the current ran past the ship, at the rate of eight or 
 nine miles per hour, and these vessels, if hid among the 
 islands, might sweep down upon them unperceived. 
 
 It was twelve o'clock at night when Philip, who was in 
 bed, was awakened by a shock ; he thought it might be a 
 proa running alongside, and he started from his bed and 
 ran out. He found Krantz, who had been awakened by 
 the same cause, running up undressed — another shock 
 succeeded, and the ship careened to port. Philip then 
 knew that the ship was on shore. 
 
 The thickness of the night prevented them from ascer- 
 taining where they were, but the lead was thrown over 
 the side, and they found that they were lying on shore on 
 a sand bank, with not more than fourteen feet water on 
 the deepest side, and that they were broadside on, with a 
 strong current pressing them further up on the bank; 
 indeed the current ran like a mill-race, and each minute 
 they were swept into shallower water. 
 
 On examination they found that the ship had dragged 
 her anchor, which, with the cable, was still taut from 
 the starboard bow, but this did not appear to prevent the 
 vessel from being swept further up on the bank. It was 
 supposed that the anchor had parted at the shank, and 
 another anchor was let go. 
 
 Nothing more could be done till daybreak, and im- 
 patiently did they wait till the next morning. As the sun 
 rose, the mist cleared away, and they discovered that they 
 were on shore on a sand bank, a small portion of which was 
 above water, and round which the current ran with great 
 impetuosity. About three miles from them was a cluster 
 of small islands with cocoa-trees growing on them, but 
 with no appearance of inhabitants. 
 
 ** I fear we have little chance," observed Krantz to 
 Philip. "If we lighten the vessel the anchor may not 
 hold, and we shall be swept further on, and it is impossible 
 to lay out an anchor against the force of this current." 
 
 "At all events we must try; but I grant that our 
 
 I 
 
The Phantom Ship 2^3 
 
 situation is anything but satisfactory. Send all the hands 
 aft." 
 
 The men came aft, gloomy and dispirited. 
 
 " My lads ! " said Philip, ** why are you disheartened ? ** 
 
 ** We are doomed, sir ; we knew it would be so." 
 
 " I thought it probable that the ship would be lost — I 
 told you so ; but the loss of the ship does not involve that 
 of the ship's company — nay, it does not follow that the 
 ship is to be lost, although she may be in great difficulty, 
 as she is at present. "What fear is there for us, my men ? 
 — the water is smooth — we have plenty of time before us 
 — we can make a raft and take to our boats — ^it never 
 blows among these islands, and we have land close under 
 our lee. Let us first try what we can do with the ship ; 
 if we fail, we must then take care of ourselves." 
 
 The men caught at the idea and went to work willingly ; 
 the water casks were started, the pumps set going, and 
 everything that could be spared was thrown over to 
 lighten the ship ; but the anchor still dragged from the 
 strength of the current and bad holding-ground; and 
 Philip and Krantz perceived that they were swept further 
 on the bank. 
 
 Night came on before they quitted their toil, and then 
 a fresh breeze sprung up and created a swell, which 
 occasioned the vessel to beat on the hard sand ; thus did 
 they continue until the next morning. At daylight the 
 men resumed their labours, and the pumps were again 
 manned to clear the vessel of the water which had been 
 started, but after a time they pumped up sand. This told 
 them that a plank had started, and that their labours were 
 useless ; the men left their work, but Philip again encour- 
 aged them, and pointed out that they could easily save 
 themselves, and all that they had to do was to construct a 
 raft, which would hold provisions for them, and receive 
 that portion of the crew who could not be taken into the 
 boats. 
 
 After some repose the men again set to work ; the top- 
 sails were struck, the yards lowered down, and the raft 
 
254 The Phantom Ship 
 
 was commenced under the lee of the vessel, where the 
 strong current was checked. Philip, recollecting his former 
 disaster, took great pains in the construction of this raft, 
 and aware that as the water and provisions were expended 
 there would be no occasion to tow so heavy a mass, he 
 constructed it in two parts, which might easily be severed, 
 and thus the boats would have less to tow, as soon 
 as circumstances would enable them to part with one of 
 them. 
 
 Night again terminated their labours, and the men 
 retired to rest, the weather continuing fine, with very 
 little wind. By noon the next day the raft was complete ; 
 water and provisions were safely stowed on board; a 
 secure and dry place was fitted up for Amine in the 
 centre of one portion ; spare ropes, sails, and everything 
 which could prove useful, in case of their being forced 
 on shore, were put in. Muskets and ammunition were 
 also provided, and everything was ready, when the men 
 came aft and pointed out to Philip that there was plenty 
 of money on board, which it was folly to leave, and that 
 they wished to carry as much as they could away with 
 them. As this intimation was given in a way that made 
 it evident they intended that it should be complied with, 
 Philip did not refuse ; but resolved, in his own mind, 
 that when they arrived at a place where he could exercise 
 his authority, the money should be reclaimed for the 
 Company to whom it belonged. The men went down 
 below, and while Philip was making arrangements with 
 Amine, handed the casks of dollars out of the hold, broke 
 them open and helped themselves — quarrelling with each 
 other for the first possession, as each cask was opened. 
 At last every man had obtained as much as he could 
 carry, and had placed his spoil on the raft with his 
 baggage, or in the boat to which he had been appointed. 
 All was now ready — Amine was lowered down, and took 
 her station — the boats took in tow the raft, which was 
 cast off from the vessel, and away they went with the 
 current, pulling with all their strength, to avoid being 
 
The Phantom Ship 2$s 
 
 stranded upon that part of the sand bank which appeared 
 above water. This was the great danger which they 
 had to encounter, and which they very narrowly escaped. 
 
 They numbered eighty-six souls in all: in the boats 
 there were thirty-two j the rest were on the raft, which 
 being well-built and full of timber, floated high out of 
 the water, now that the sea was so smooth. It had been 
 agreed upon by Philip and Krantz, that one of them 
 should remain on the raft and the other in one of the 
 boats; but, at the time the raft quitted the ship, they 
 were both on the raft, as they wished to consult, as soon 
 as they discovered the direction of the current, which 
 would be the most advisable course for them to pursue. 
 It appeared that as soon as the current had passed the 
 bank, it took a more southerly direction towards New 
 Guinea. It was then debated between them whether 
 they should or should not land on that island, the natives 
 of which were known to be pusillanimous, yet treacherous. 
 A long debate ensued, which ended, however, in their 
 resolving not to decide as yet, but wait and see what 
 might occur. In the meantime, the boats pulled to the 
 westward, while the current set them fast down in a 
 southerly direction. 
 
 Night came on, and the boats dropped the grapnels, 
 with which they had been provided; and Philip was 
 glad to find that the current was not near so strong, 
 and the grapnels held both boats and raft. Covering 
 themselves up with the spare sails with which they had 
 provided themselves, and setting a watch, the tired 
 seamen were soon fast asleep. 
 
 "Had I not better remain in one of the boats?" 
 observed Krantz. "Suppose, to save themselves, the 
 boats were to leave the raft." 
 
 "I have thought of that," replied Philip, "and have, 
 therefore, not allowed any provisions or water in the 
 boats ; they will not leave us for that reason." 
 
 " True, I had forgotten that." 
 
 Krantz remained on watch, and Philip retired to the 
 
256 The Phantom Ship 
 
 repose which he so much needed. Amine met him with 
 open arms. 
 
 *' I have no fear, Philip," said she, *' I rather like this 
 wild adventurous change. We will go on shore and 
 build our hut beneath the cocoa-trees, and I shall repine 
 when the day comes which brings succour, and releases 
 us from our desert isle. What do I require but you ? " 
 
 "We are in the hands of One above, dear, who will 
 act with us as He pleases. We have to be thankful that 
 it is no worse," replied Philip. " But now to rest, for 
 I shall soon be obliged to watch." 
 
 The morning dawned, with a smooth sea and a bright 
 blue sky; the raft had been borne to leeward of the 
 cluster of uninhabited islands of which we spoke, and 
 was now without hopes of reaching them ; but to the 
 westward were to be seen on the horizon the refracted 
 heads and trunks of cocoa-nut trees, and in that direction 
 it was resolved that they should tow the raft. The 
 breakfast had been served out, and the men had taken 
 to the oars, when they discovered a proa, full of men, 
 sweeping after them from one of the islands to windward. 
 That it was a pirate vessel there could be no doubt v 
 but Philip and Krantz considered that their force was 
 more than sufficient to repel them, should an attack be 
 made. This was pointed out to the men; arms were 
 distributed to all in the boats, as well as to those on 
 the raft; and that the seamen might not be fatigued, 
 they were ordered to lie on their oars, and await the 
 coming up of the vessel. 
 
 As soon as the pirate was within range, having recon- 
 noitred her antagonists, she ceased pulling and commenced 
 firing from a small piece of cannon, which was mounted 
 on her bows. The grape and langridge which she poured 
 upon them wounded several of the men, although Philip 
 had ordered them to lie down flat on the raft and in the 
 boats. The pirate advanced nearer, and her fire became 
 more destructive, without any opportunity of returning 
 it by the UtreMs people. At last it was proposed, as 
 
The Phantom Ship t.^"] 
 
 the only chance of escape, that the boats should attack 
 the pirate. This was agreed to by Philip — more men 
 were sent in the boats — Krantz took the command — the 
 raft was cast off, and the boats pulled away. But scarcely 
 had they cleared the raft, when, as by one sudden thought, 
 they turned round and pulled away in the opposite 
 direction. Krantz's voice was heard by Philip, and his 
 sword was seen to flash through the air — a moment 
 afterwards he plunged into the sea, and swam to the raft. 
 It appeared that the people in the boats, anxious to 
 preserve the money which they had possession of, had 
 agreed among themselves to pull away and leave the raft 
 to its fate. The proposal for attacking the pirate had 
 been suggested with that view, and as soon as they were 
 clear of the raft, they put their intentions into execution. 
 In vain had Krantz expostulated and threatened ; they 
 would have taken his life; and when he found that his 
 efforts were of no avail, he leaped from the boat. " Then 
 are we lost, I fear," said Philip. " Our numbers are so 
 reduced, that we cannot hope to hold out long. What 
 think you, Schriften ? " ventured Philip, addressing the 
 pilot who stood near to him. 
 
 ** Lost — but not lost by the pirates — no harm there. 
 He! he!" 
 
 The remark of Schriften was correct. The pirates, 
 imagining that in taking to their boat, the people had carried 
 with them everything that was valuable, instead of firing 
 at the raft, immediately gave chase to the boats. The 
 sweeps were now out, and the proa flew over the smooth 
 water like a sea-bird, passed the raft, and was at first 
 evidently gaining on the boats; but their speed soon 
 slackened, and as the day passed, the boats, and then 
 the pirate vessel disappeared in the southward; the 
 distance between them being apparently much the same 
 as at the commencement of the chase. 
 
 The raft being now at the mercy of the winds and 
 waves, Philip and Krantz collected the carpenter's tools 
 which had been brought from the ship, and selecting two 
 p.s. R 
 
258 The Phantom Ship 
 
 spars from the raft, they made every preparation for 
 stepping a mast and setting sail by the next morning. 
 
 The morning dawned, and the first objects that met 
 their view, were the boats pulling back towards the raft, 
 followed closely by the pirate. The men had pulled the 
 whole night, and were worn out with fatigue. It was 
 presumed that a consultation had been held, in which it 
 was agreed that they should make a sweep, so as to 
 return to the raft ; as, if they gained it, they would be 
 able to defend themselves, and moreover, obtain provisions 
 and water, which they had not on board at the time of 
 their desertion. But it was fated otherwise; gradually 
 the men dropped from their oars, exhausted, into the 
 bottom of the boat, and the pirate vessel followed them 
 with renewed ardour. The boats were captured one by 
 one, the booty found was more than the pirates anticipated, 
 and it hardly need be said that not one man was spared. 
 All this took place within three miles of the raft, and 
 Philip anticipated that the next movement of the vessel 
 would be towards them, but he was mistaken. Satisfied 
 with their booty, and imagining that there could be no 
 more on the raft, the pirate pulled away to the eastward, 
 towards the islands from amongst which she had first 
 made her appearance. Thus were those who expected to 
 escape and who had deserted their companions, deservedly 
 punished, whilst those who anticipated every disaster 
 from this desertion, discovered that it was the cause of 
 their being saved. 
 
 The remaining people on board the raft amounted to 
 about forty-five ; Philip, Krantz, Schriften, Amine, the 
 two mates, sixteen seamen, and twenty-four soldiers, who 
 had been embarked at Amsterdam. Of provisions they 
 had sufficient for three or four weeks, but of water they 
 were very short, already not having sufficient for more 
 than three days at the usual allowance. As soon as the 
 mast had been stepped and rigged, and the sails set 
 (although there was hardly a breath of wind), Philip ex- 
 plained to the men the necessity of reducing the quantity 
 
The Phantom Ship 259 
 
 of water, and it was agreed that it should be served out 
 so as to extend the supply to twelve days, the allowance 
 being reduced to half a pint per day. 
 
 There was a debate at this time, as the raft was in 
 two parts, whether it would not be better to cast off the 
 smaller one and put all the people on board the other; 
 but this proposal was overruled, as in the first place, 
 although the boats had deserted them, the number on 
 the raft had not much diminished, and moreover, the 
 raft would steer much better under sail, now that it had 
 length, than it would do if they reduced its dimensions 
 and altered its shape to a square mass of floating wood. 
 
 For three days it was a calm, the sun poured down his 
 hot beams upon them, and the want of water was severely 
 felt ; those who continued to drink spirits suffered the 
 most. 
 
 On the fourth day the breeze sprung up favourably, and 
 the sail was filled -, it was a relief to their burning brows 
 and blistered backs j and as the raft sailed on at the rate 
 of four miles an hour, the men were gay and full of hope. 
 The land below the cocoa-nut trees was now distinguish- 
 able, and they anticipated that the next day they could 
 land and procure the water, which they now so craved for. 
 All night they carried sail, but the next morning they dis- 
 covered that the current was strong against them, and that 
 what they gained when the breeze was fresh, they lost 
 from the adverse current as soon as it went down; the 
 breeze was always fresh in the morning, but it fell calm in 
 the evening. Thus did they continue for four days more, 
 every noon being not ten miles from the land but the next 
 morning swept away to a distance, and having their ground 
 to retrace. Eight days had now passed, and the men, 
 worn out with exposure to the burning sun, became dis- 
 contented and mutinous. At one time they insisted that 
 the raft should be divided, that they might gain the 
 land with the other half; at another, that the provisions 
 which they could no longer eat should be thrown overboard 
 to hghten the raft. The difficulty under which they lay, 
 
26o The Phantom Ship 
 
 was the having no anchor or grapnel to the raft, the boats 
 having carried away with them all that had been taken 
 from the ship. Philip then proposed to the men, that, as 
 every one of them had such a quantity of dollars, the money 
 should be sewed up in canvas bags, each man's property 
 separate j and that with this weight to the ropes they 
 would probably be enabled to hold the raft against the 
 current for one night, when they would be able the next 
 day to gain the shore ; but this was refused — they would 
 not risk their money. No, no — fools ! they would sooner 
 part with their lives by the most miserable of all deaths. 
 Again and again was this proposed to them by Philip and 
 Krantz, but without success. 
 
 In the meantime, Amine had kept up her courage and 
 her spirits ; proving to Philip a valuable adviser and a 
 comforter in his misfortunes. " Cheer up, Philip," would 
 she say ; " we shall yet build our cottage under the shade 
 of those cocoa-nut trees, and pass a portion, if not the 
 remainder of our lives in peace ; for who indeed is there 
 who would think to find us in these desolate and untrodden 
 regions ? " 
 
 Schriften was quiet and well-behaved; talked much 
 with Amine, but with nobody else. Indeed he appeared 
 to have a stronger feeling in favour of Amine than he had 
 ever shown before. He watched over her and attended 
 her ; and Amine would often look up after being silent, 
 and perceived Schriften's face wear an air of pity and 
 melancholy, which she had believed it impossible that he 
 could have exhibited. 
 
 Another day passed ; again they neared the land, and 
 again did the breeze die away, and they were swept back 
 by the current. The men now rose, and in spite of the 
 endeavours of Philip and Krantz, they rolled into the sea 
 all the provisions and stores, everything but one cask of 
 spirits and the remaining stock of water ; they then sat 
 down at the upper end of the raft with gloomy, threatening 
 looks, and in close consultation. 
 
 Another night closed in : Philip was full of anxiety. 
 
The Phantom Ship 261 
 
 Again he urged them to anchor with their money, but in 
 vain 5 they ordered him away, and he returned to the 
 after part of the raft, upon which Amine's secure retreat 
 had been erected; he leant on it in deep thought and 
 melancholy, for he imagined that Amine was asleep. 
 
 " What disturbs you, Philip ? " 
 
 " "What disturbs me ? The avarice and folly of these 
 men. They will die, rather than risk their hateful money. 
 They have the means of saving themselves and us, and they 
 will not. There is weight enough in bullion on the fore 
 part of the raft to hold a dozen floating masses such as 
 this, yet they will not risk it. Cursed love of gold ! it 
 makes men fools, madmen, villains. We have now but 
 two days' water — doled out as it is drop by drop. Look 
 at their emaciated, broken down, wasted forms, and yet see 
 how they cling to money, which probably they will never 
 have occasion for, even if they gain the land. I am dis- 
 tracted ! " 
 
 " You suffer, Philip, you suffer from privation ; but I 
 have been careful, I thought that this would come j I have 
 saved both water and biscuit — I have here four bottles ; — 
 drink, Philip, and it will relieve you." 
 
 Philip drank ; it did relieve him, for the excitement of 
 the day had pressed heavily on him. 
 
 " Thanks, Amine — thanks, dearest ! I feel better now. 
 — Good Heaven ! are there such fools as to value the dross 
 of metal above one drop of water in a time of suffering 
 and privation such as this ? " 
 
 The night closed in as before ; the stars shone bright 
 but there was no moon, Philip had risen at midnight to 
 relieve Krantz from the steerage of the raft. Usually the 
 men had lain about in every part of the raft, but this night 
 the majority of them remained forward. Philip was 
 communing with his own bitter thoughts, when he heard 
 a scuffle forward, and the voice of Krantz crying out to 
 him for help. He quitted the helm, and seizing his cutlass 
 ran forward, where he found Krantz down, and the men 
 securing him. He fought his way to him, but was himself 
 
262 The Phantom Ship 
 
 seized and disarmed. " Cut away — cut away," was called 
 out by those who held him ; and, in a few seconds, Philip 
 had the misery to behold the after part of the raft, with 
 Amine upon it, drifted apart from the one on which he 
 stood. 
 
 " For mercy's sake ! my wife — my Amine — for Heaven's 
 sake save her ! " cried Philip, struggling in vain to 
 disengage himself. Amine also, who had run to the side 
 of the raft, held out her arms — it was in vain — they were 
 separated more than a cable's length. Philip made one 
 more desperate struggle, and then fell down deprived of 
 sense and motion. 
 
 Chapter XXIV 
 
 It was not until the day had dawned that Philip opened 
 his eyes, and discovered Krantz kneeling at his side ; at 
 first his thoughts were scattered and confused; he felt 
 that some dreadful calamity had happened to him, but he 
 could not recall to mind what it was. At last it rushed 
 upon him, and he buried his face in his hands. 
 
 " Take comfort," said Krantz ; " we shall probably gain 
 the shore to-day, and we will go in search of her as soon 
 as we can." 
 
 " This, then, is the separation and the cruel death to her 
 which that wretch Schriften prophesied to us," thought 
 Philip ; " cruel indeed to waste away to a skeleton, under 
 a burning sun, without one drop of water left to cool her 
 parched tongue ; at the mercy of the winds and waves ;. 
 drifting about — alone — all alone — separated from her 
 husband, in whose arms she would have died without 
 regret ; maddened with suspense and with the thoughts of 
 what I may be suffering, or what may have been my fate. 
 Pilot, you are right ; there can be no more cruel death to 
 a fond and doting wife. Oh ! my head reels. What has 
 Philip Vanderdecken to live for now ? " 
 
 Krantz offered such consolation as his friendship could 
 
The Phantom Ship 26^ 
 
 suggest, but in vain He then talked of revenge, and 
 Philip raised his head. After a few minutes' thought, he 
 rose up. ** Yes," replied he, " revenge ! — revenge upon 
 those dastards and traitors ! Tell me, Krantz, how many- 
 can we trust ? " 
 
 " Half of the men, I should think, at least. It was a 
 surprise." A spar had been fitted as a rudder, and the raft 
 had now gained nearer the shore than it ever had done 
 before. The men were in high spirits at the prospect, and 
 every man was sitting on his own store of dollars, which, 
 in their eyes, increased in value, in proportion as did their 
 prospect of escape. 
 
 Philip discovered from Krantz, that it was the soldiers 
 and the most indifferent seamen who had mutinied on the 
 night before, and cut away the other raft ; and that all the 
 best men had remained neuter. 
 
 " And so they will be now, I imagine," continued 
 Krantz ; ** the prospect of gaining the shore has, in a 
 manner, reconciled them to the treachery of their com- 
 panions." 
 
 "Probably," replied Philip, with a bitter laugh; "but 
 I know what will rouse them. Send them here to me." 
 
 Philip talked to the seamen, whom Krantz had sent over 
 to him. He pointed out to them that the other men were 
 traitors, not to be relied upon ; that they would sacrifice 
 everything and everybody for their own gain; that they 
 had already done so for money, and that they themselves 
 would have no security, either on the raft or on shore, with 
 such people ; that they dare not sleep for fear of having 
 their throats cut, and that it were better at once to get rid 
 of those who could not be true to each other ; that it would 
 facilitate their escape, and that they could divide between 
 themselves the money which the others had secured, and 
 by which they would double their own shares. That it 
 had been his intention, although he had said nothing, to 
 enforce the restoration of the money for the benefit of the 
 Company, as soon as they had gained a civilised port, 
 where the authorities could interfere ; but that, if they 
 
264 The Phantom Ship 
 
 consented to join and aid him, he would now give them the 
 whole of it for their own use. 
 
 What will not the desire of gain effect ? Is it, therefore, 
 to be wondered at, that these men, who were indeed but 
 little better than those who were thus, in his desire of retalia- 
 tion, denounced by Philip, consented to his proposal ? It 
 was agreed, that if they did not gain the shore, the others 
 should be attacked that very night, and tossed into the sea. 
 
 But the consultation with Philip had put the other party 
 on the alert ; they, too, held council, and kept their arms 
 by their sides. As the breeze died away, they were not 
 two miles from the land, and once more they drifted back 
 into the ocean. Philip's mind was borne down with grief 
 at the loss of Amine ; but it recovered to a certain degree 
 when he thought of revenge : that feeling stayed him up, 
 and he often felt the edge of his cutlass, impatient for the 
 moment of retribution. 
 
 It was a lovely night; the sea was now smooth as 
 glass, and not a breath of air moved in the heavens ; the 
 sail of the raft hung listless down the mast, and was 
 reflected upon the calm surface by the brilliancy of 
 the starry night alone. It was a night for contempla- 
 tion — for examination of oneself, and adoration of the 
 Deity ; and here, on a frail raft, were huddled together 
 more than forty beings ready for combat, for murder, 
 and for spoil. Each party pretended to repose ; yet 
 each were quietly watching the motions of the other, 
 with their hands upon their weapons. The signal was 
 to be given by Philip : it was, to let go the halyards of 
 the yard, so that the sail should fall down upon a portion 
 of the other party, and entangle them. By Philip's direc- 
 tions, Schriften had taken the helm, and Krantz remained 
 by his side. 
 
 The yard and sail fell clattering down, and then the 
 work of death commenced ; there was no parley, no 
 suspense ; each man started upon his feet and raised his 
 sword. The voices of Philip and of Krantz alone were 
 heard, and Philip's sword did its work. He was nerved 
 
The Phantom Ship 265 
 
 to his revenge, and never could be satiated as long as 
 one remained who had sacrificed his Amine. As Philip 
 had expected, many had been covered up and entangled 
 by the falling of the sail, and their work was thereby 
 made easier. 
 
 Some fell where they stood; others reeled back, and 
 sunk down under the smooth water ; others were pierced 
 as they floundered under the canvas. In a few minutes, 
 the work of carnage was complete. Schriften meanwhile 
 looked on, and ever and anon gave vent to his chuckling 
 laugh — his demoniacal ** He ! he ! " 
 
 The strife was over, and Philip stood against the mast 
 to recover his breath. **So far art thou revenged, my 
 Amine," thought he ; " but, oh ! what are these paltry 
 lives compared to thine ? " And now that his revenge 
 was satiated, and he could do no more, he covered his 
 face up in his hands, and wept bitterly, while those who 
 had assisted him were already collecting the money of 
 the slain for distribution. These men, when they found 
 that three only of their side had fallen, lamented that there 
 had not been more, as their own shares of the dollars 
 would have been increased. 
 
 There were now but thirteen men besides Philip, 
 Krantz, and Schriften left upon the raft. As the day 
 dawned, the breeze again sprung up, and they shared 
 out the portions of water, which would have been the 
 allowance of their companions who had fallen. Hunger 
 they felt not 5 but the water revived their spirits. 
 
 Although Philip had had little to say to Schriften since 
 the separation from Amine, it was very evident to him 
 and to Krantz, that all the pilot's former bitter feelings 
 had returned. His chuckle, his sarcasms, his " He ! 
 he ! " were incessant ; and his eye was now as maliciously 
 directed to Philip as it was when they first met. It was 
 evident that Amine alone had for the time conquered his 
 disposition j and that, with her disappearance, had vanished 
 all the good-will of Schriften towards her husband. For 
 this Philip cared little ; he had a much more serious 
 
2.66 The Phantom Ship 
 
 weight on his heart — the loss of his dear Amine; and 
 he felt reckless and indifferent concerning anything else. 
 
 The breeze now freshened, and they expected that, 
 in two hours, they would run on the beach, but they 
 were disappointed : the step of the mast gave way from 
 the force of the wind, and the sail fell upon the raft. 
 This occasioned great delay ; and before they could repair 
 the mischief, the wind again subsided, and they were left 
 about a mile from the beach. Tired and worn out with 
 his feelings, Philip at last fell asleep by the side of Krantz, 
 leaving Schriften at the helm. He slept soundly — he 
 dreamt of Amine — he thought she was under a grove 
 of cocoa-nuts in a sweet sleep ; that he stood by and 
 watched her, and that she smiled in her sleep, and 
 murmured " Philip," when suddenly he was awakened 
 by some unusual movement. Half-dreaming still, he 
 thought that Schriften, the pilot, had in his sleep been 
 attempting to gain his relic, had passed the chain over 
 his head, and was removing quietly from underneath his 
 neck the portion of the chain which, in his reclining 
 posture, he lay upon. Startled at the idea, he threw up 
 his hand to seize the arm of the wretch, and found that 
 he had really seized hold of Schriften, who was kneeling 
 by him, and in possession of the chain and relic. The 
 struggle was short, the relic was recovered, and the pilot 
 lay at the mercy of Philip, who held him down with his 
 knee on his chest. Philip replaced the relic on his bosom, 
 and, excited to madness, rose from the body of the now 
 breathless Schriften, caught it in his arms, and hurled it 
 into the sea. 
 
 " Man or devil ! I care not which," exclaimed Philip, 
 breathless ; " escape now, if you can ! " 
 
 The struggle had already roused up Krantz and others, 
 but not in time to prevent Philip from wreaking his 
 vengeance upon Schriften. In few words, he told Krantz 
 what had passed 5 as for the men, they cared not ; they 
 laid their heads down again, and, satisfied that their 
 money was safe, inquired no further. 
 
The Phantom Ship i^'] 
 
 Philip watched to see if Schriften would rise up again, 
 and try to regain the raft ; but he did not make his appear- 
 ance above water, and Philip felt satisfied. 
 
 Chapter XXV 
 
 What pen could portray the feelings of the fond and 
 doting Amine, when she first discovered that she was 
 separated from her husband ? In a state of bewilderment, 
 she watched the other raft as the distance between them 
 increased. At last the shades of night hid it from her 
 aching eyes, and she dropped down in mute despair. 
 
 Gradually she recovered herself, and turning round, she 
 exclaimed, ** Who's here ? " 
 
 No answer. 
 
 ** Who's here } " cried she in a louder voice ; " alone — 
 alone — and Philip gone. Mother, mother, look down 
 upon your unhappy child ! " and Amine frantically threw 
 herself down so near to the edge of the raft, that her long 
 hair, which had fallen down, floated on the wave. 
 
 " Ah me ! where am I ? " cried Amine, after remaining 
 in a state of torpor for some hours. The sun glared 
 fiercely upon her, and dazzled her eyes as she opened 
 them — she cast them on the blue wave close by her, and 
 beheld a large shark motionless by the side of the raft, 
 waiting for his prey. Recoiling from the edge, she started 
 up. She turned round, and beheld the raft vacant, and the 
 truth flashed on her. " Oh ! Philip, Philip ! " cried she, 
 " then it is true, and you are gone for ever ! I thought it 
 was only a dream, I recollect all now. Yes — all — all ! " 
 And Amine sank down again upon her cot, which had been 
 placed in the centre of the raft, and remained motionless 
 for some time. 
 
 But the demand for water became imperious ; she seized 
 one of the bottles, and drank. " Yet why should I drink 
 or eat ? Why should I wish to preserve life ? " She rose, 
 and looked round the horizon — " Sky and water, nothing 
 
268 The Phantom Ship 
 
 more. Is this the death I am to die — the cruel death 
 prophesied by Schriften — a lingering death under a burning 
 sun, while my vitals are parched within ? Be it so ! Fate 
 I dare thee to thy worst — we can die but once — and with- 
 out him, what care I to live ! But yet I may see him again," 
 continued Amine, hurriedly, after a pause. " Yes ! I may 
 — who knows ? Then welcome life, TU nurse thee for 
 that bare hope — bare indeed with nought to feed on. Let 
 me see, is it here still ? '* Amine looked at her zone, and 
 perceived her dagger was still in it. " Well then, I will 
 live since death is at my command, and be guardful of life 
 for my dear husband's sake." And Amine threw herself on 
 her resting-place that she might forget everything. She 
 did : from that morning till the noon of the next day, she 
 remained in a state of torpor. 
 
 When she again rose, she was faint ; again she looked 
 round her — there was but sky and water to be seen. 
 
 ** Oh ! this solitude — it is horrible ! death would be a 
 release — but no, I must not die — I must live for Philip." 
 She refreshed herself with water and a few pieces of 
 biscuit, and folded her arms across her breast. ** A few 
 more days without relief, and all must be over. Was ever 
 woman situated as I am, and yet I dare to indulge hope ? 
 Why, 'tis madness ! And why am I thus singled out : 
 because I have wedded with Philip ? It may be so ; if so, I 
 welcome it. Wretches ! who thus severed me from my 
 husband ; who, to save their own lives, sacrificed a helpless 
 woman ! Nay ! they might have saved me, if they had had 
 the least pity ; — but no, they never felt it. And these are 
 Christians ! The creed that the old priests would have 
 had me — yes ! that Philip would have had me embrace. 
 Charity and good-will ! They talk of it, but I have never 
 seen them practise it ! Loving one another ! — forgiving 
 one another ! — say rather hating and preying upon one 
 another ! A creed never practised : why, if not prac- 
 tised, of what value is it ? Any creed were better — I abjure 
 it, and if I be saved, will abjure it still for ever. Shade 
 of my mother ! is it that I have listened to these men — 
 
The Phantom Ship 269 
 
 that I have, to win my husband's love, tried to forget that 
 which thou taughtest, even when a child at thy feet — that 
 faith which our forefathers for thousands of years lived and 
 died in — that creed proved by works, and obedience to the 
 prophet's will — is it for this that I am punished ? Tell 
 me, mother — oh ! tell me in my dreams." 
 
 The night closed in, and with the gloom rose heavy 
 clouds 5 the lightning darted through the firmament, ever 
 and anon lighting up the raft. At last, the flashes were so 
 rapid, not following each other — but darting down from 
 every quarter at once, that the whole firmament appeared 
 as if on fire, and the thunder rolled along the heavens, now 
 near and loud, then rumbling in the distance. The breeze 
 rose up fresh, and the waves tossed the raft, and washed 
 occasionally even to Amine's feet, as she stood in the 
 centre of it. 
 
 " I like this — this is far better than that calm and 
 withering heat — this rouses me," said Amine, as she cast 
 her eyes up, and watched the forked lightning till her 
 vision became obscured. ** Yes, this is as it should be. 
 Lightning, strike me if you please — waves wash me off 
 and bury me in a briny tomb — pour the wrath of the whole 
 elements upon this devoted head. — I care not, I laugh at, 
 I defy it all. Thou canst but kill, this little steel can do 
 as much. Let those who hoard up wealth — those who 
 live in splendour — those that are happy — those who have 
 husbands, children, aught to love — let them tremble, I 
 have nothing. Elements ! be ye fire, or water, or earth, 
 or air, Amine defies you ! And yet — no, no, deceive not 
 thyself, Amine, there is no hope ; thus will I mount my 
 funeral bier, and wait the will of destiny." And Amine 
 regained the secure place which Philip had fitted up for 
 her in the centre of the raft, threw herself down upon her 
 bed, and shut her eyes. 
 
 The thunder and lightning was followed up by torrents 
 of heavy rain, which fell till daylight ; the wind still con- 
 tinued fresh, but the sky cleared, and the sun shone out. 
 Amine remained shivering in her wet garments ; the heat 
 
270 The Phantom Ship 
 
 of the sun proved too powerful for her exhausted state, 
 and her brain wandered. She rose up in a sitting posture, 
 looked around her, saw verdant fields in every direction, 
 the cocoa-nuts waving to the wind — imagined even that 
 she saw her own Philip in the distance hastening to her ; 
 she held out her arms ; strove to get up, and run to meet 
 him, but her limbs refused their office ; she called to him, 
 she screamed, and sank back exhausted on her resting- 
 place. 
 
 Chapter XXVI 
 
 We must for a time return to Philip, and follow hi« 
 strange destiny. A few hours after he had thrown the 
 pilot into the sea they gained the shore, so long looked 
 at with anxiety and suspense. The spars of the raft, 
 jerked by the running swell, undulated and rubbed against 
 each other, as they rose and fell to the waves breaking 
 on the beach. The breeze was fresh, but the surf was 
 trifling, and the landing was without difficulty. The 
 beach was shelving, of firm white sand, interspersed and 
 strewed with various brilliant-coloured shells 5 and here 
 and there, the bleached fragments and bones of some 
 animal which had been forced out of its element to die. 
 The island was, like all the others, covered with a thick 
 wood of cocoa-nut trees, whose tops waved to the breeze, 
 or bowed to the blast, producing a shade and a freshness 
 which would have been duly appreciated by any other 
 party than the present, with the exception only of Krantz ; 
 for Philip thought of nothing but his lost wife, and the 
 seamen thought of nothing but of their sudden wealth. 
 Krantz supported Philip to the beach and led him to the 
 shade ; but after a minute he rose, and running down to 
 the nearest point, looked anxiously for the portion of the 
 raft which held Amine, which was now far, far away. 
 Krantz had followed, aware that, now the first paroxysms 
 
The Phantom Ship 271 
 
 were past, there was no fear of Philip's throwing away his 
 life. 
 
 " Gone, gone for ever ! " exclaimed Philip, pressing his 
 hands to the balls of his eyes. 
 
 " Not so, Philip, the same Providence which has pre- 
 served us, will certainly assist her. It is impossible that 
 she can perish among so many islands, many of which are 
 inhabited ; and a woman will be certain of kind treat- 
 ment." 
 
 " If I could only think so," replied Philip. 
 
 " A little reflection may induce you to think that it 
 is rather an advantage than otherwise, that she is thus 
 separated — not from you, but from so many lawless com- 
 panions, whose united force we could not resist. Do you 
 think that, after any lengthened sojourn on this island, 
 these people with us would permit you to remain in quiet 
 possession of your wife ? No ! — they would respect no 
 laws ; and Amine has, in my opinion, been miraculously 
 preserved from shame and ill-treatment, if not from 
 death." 
 
 ** They durst not, surely ! Well, but Krantz, we must 
 make a raft and follow her ; we must not remain here — 
 I will seek her through the wide world." 
 
 "Be it so, if you wish, Philip, and I will follow your 
 fortunes," replied Krantz, glad to find that there was 
 something, however wild the idea, for his mind to feed 
 on. " But now let us return to the raft, seek the refresh- 
 ment we so much require, and after that we will consider 
 what may be the best plan to pursue." 
 
 To this, Philip, who was much exhausted, tacitly con- 
 sented, and he followed Krantz to where the raft had been 
 beached. The men had left it, and were each of them 
 sitting apart from one another under the shade of his own 
 chosen cocoa-nut tree. The articles which had been saved 
 on the raft had not been landed, and Krantz called upon 
 them to come and carry the things on shore — but no one 
 would answer or obey. They each sat watching their 
 jnoney, and afraid to leave it, lest they should be dis- 
 
272 The Phantom Ship 
 
 possessed of it by the others. Now that their lives were, 
 comparatively speaking, safe, the demon of avarice had 
 taken full possession of their souls ; there they sat, ex- 
 hausted, pining for water, and longing for sleep, and yet 
 they dared not move — they were fixed as if by the wand 
 of the enchanter. 
 
 ** It is the cursed dollars which have turned their 
 brains," observed Krantz to Philip ; " let us try if we 
 cannot manage to remove what we most stand in need of, 
 and then we will search for water." 
 
 Philip and Krantz collected the carpenter's tools, the 
 best arms, and all the ammunition, as the possession of the 
 latter would give them advantage in case of necessity ; they 
 then dragged on shore the sail and some small spars, all of 
 which they carried up to a clump of cocoa-nut trees, about 
 a hundred yards from the beach. 
 
 In half an hour they had erected an humble tent, and 
 put into it what they had brought with them, with the 
 exception of the major part of the ammunition, which, as 
 soon as he was screened by the tent, Krantz buried in a 
 heap of dry sand behind it ; he then, for their immediate 
 wants, cut down with an axe a small cocoa-nut tree in full 
 bearing. It must be for those who have suffered the agony 
 of prolonged thirst, to know the extreme pleasure with 
 which the milk of the nuts were one after the other poured 
 down the parched throats of Krantz and Philip. The men 
 witnessed their enjoyment in silence, and with gloating 
 eyes. Every time that a fresh cocoa-nut was seized and its 
 contents quaffed by their officers, more sharp and agonising 
 was their own devouring thirst — still closer did their dry 
 lips glue themselves together — yet they moved not, 
 although they felt the tortures of the condemned. 
 
 Evening closed in ; Philip had thrown himself down on 
 the spare sails, and had fallen asleep, when Krantz set off 
 to explore the island upon which they had been thrown. 
 It was small, not exceeding three miles in length, and at 
 no one part more than five hundred yards across. "Water 
 there was none, unless it were to be obtained by digging j 
 
The Phantom Ship 'i']'^ 
 
 fortunately the young cocoa-nuts prevented the absolute 
 necessity for it. On his return, Krantz passed the men in 
 their respective stations. Each was awake, and raised 
 himself on his elbow to ascertain if it were an assailant ; 
 but perceiving Krantz, they again dropped down. Krantz 
 passed the raft — the water was now quite smooth, for the 
 wind had shifted off shore, and the spars which composed 
 the raft hardly jostled each other. He stepped upon it, 
 and, as the moon was bright in the heavens, he took the 
 precaution of collecting all the arms which had been left, 
 and throwing them as far as he could into the sea. He 
 then walked to the tent, where he found PhiHp still sleep- 
 ing soundly, and in a few minutes he was reposing by his 
 side. And Philip's dreams were of Amine ; he thought 
 that he saw the hated Schriften rise again from the waters, 
 and, climbing up to the raft, seat himself by her side. He 
 thought that he again heard his unearthly chuckle and his 
 scornful laugh, as his unwelcome words fell upon her dis- 
 tracted ears. He thought that she fled into the sea to avoid 
 Schriften, and that the waters appeared to reject her — she 
 floated on the surface. The storm rose, and once more 
 he beheld her in the sea-shell skimming over the waves. 
 Again, she was in a furious surf on the beach, and her 
 shell sank, and she was buried in the waves ; and then he 
 saw her walking on shore without fear and without harm, 
 for the water which spared no one, appeared to spare her. 
 Philip tried to join her, but was prevented by some un- 
 known power, and Amine waved her hand and said, " We 
 shall meet again, Philip ; yes, once more on this earth shall 
 we meet again." 
 
 The sun was high in the heavens and scorching in his 
 heat, when Krantz first opened his eyes, and awakened 
 Philip. The axe again procured for them their morning's 
 meal. Philip was silent ; he was ruminating upon his 
 dreams, which had afforded him consolation. " We shall 
 meet again ! " thought he. " Yes, once more at least we 
 shall meet again. Providence ! I thank thee." 
 
 Krantz then stepped out to ascertain the condition of the 
 p.s. s 
 
274 '^^^ Phantom Ship 
 
 men. He found them faint, and so exhausted, that they 
 could not possibly survive much longer, yet still watching 
 over their darling treasure. It was melancholy to witness 
 such perversion of intellect, and Krantz thought of a plan 
 which might save their lives. He proposed to them each 
 separately, that they should bury their money so deep, that 
 it was not to be recovered without time : this would prevent 
 any one from attacking the treasure of the other, without 
 its being perceived and the attempt frustrated, and would 
 enable them to obtain their necessary food and refreshment 
 without danger of being robbed. 
 
 To this plan they acceded. Krantz brought out of the 
 tent the only shovel in their possession, and they, one by 
 one, buried their dollars many feet deep in the yielding 
 sand. When they had all secured their wealth, he brought 
 them one of the axes, and the cocoa-nut trees fell, and they 
 were restored to new life and vigour. Having satiated 
 themselves, they then lay down upon the several spots 
 under which they had buried their dollars, and were soon 
 enjoying that repose which they all so much needed. 
 
 Philip and Krantz had now many serious consultations 
 as to the means which should be taken for quitting the 
 island, and going in search of Amine ; for although Krantz 
 thought the latter part of Philip's proposal useless, he 
 did not venture to say so. To quit this island was 
 necessary ; and provided they gained one of those which 
 were inhabited, it was all that they could expect. As 
 for Amine, he considered that she was dead before this, 
 either having been washed off the raft, or that her body 
 was lying on it exposed to the decomposing heat of a 
 torrid sun. 
 
 To cheer Philip, he expressed himself otherwise ; and 
 whenever they talked about leaving the island, it was not 
 to save their own lives, but invariably to search after 
 Philip's lost wife. The plan which they proposed and 
 acted upon was, to construct a light raft, the centre to 
 be composed of three water-casks, sawed in half, in a 
 row behind each other, firmly fixed by cross pieces to 
 
The Phantom Ship 275 
 
 two long spars on each side. This, under sail, would 
 move quickly through the water, and be manageable so 
 as to enable them to steer a course. The outside spars 
 had been selected and hauled on shore, and the work 
 was already in progress ; but they were left alone in 
 their work, for the seamen appeared to have no idea at 
 present of quitting the island. Restored by food and 
 repose, they were not content with the money which 
 they had — they were anxious for more. A portion of 
 each party's wealth had been dug up, and they now 
 gambled all day with pebbles, which they had collected 
 on the beach, and with which they had invented a game. 
 Another evil had crept among them : they had cut steps 
 in the largest cocoa-nut trees, and with the activity of 
 seamen had mounted them, and by tapping the top of 
 the trees, and fixing empty cocoa-nuts underneath, had 
 obtained the liquor, which in its first fermentation is 
 termed toddy, and is afterwards distilled into arrack. 
 But as toddy, it is quite sufficient to intoxicate 5 and 
 every day the scenes of violence and intoxication, accom- 
 panied with oaths and execrations, became more and 
 more dreadful. The losers tore their hair, and rushed 
 like madmen upon those who had gained their dollars; 
 but Krantz had fortunately thrown their weapons into 
 the sea, and those he had saved, as well as the ammunition, 
 he had secreted. 
 
 Blows and bloodshed, therefore, were continual, but 
 loss of life there was none, as the contending parties were 
 separated by the others, who were anxious that the play 
 should not be interrupted. Such had been the state of 
 affairs for now nearly a fortnight, while the work of 
 the raft had slowly proceeded. Some of the men had 
 lost their all, and had, by the general consent of those 
 who had won their wealth, been banished to a certain 
 distance that they might not pilfer from them. These 
 walked gloomily round the island, or on the beach, 
 seeking some instrument by which they might avenge 
 themselves, and obtain repossession of their money. 
 
276 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Krantz and Philip had proposed to these men to join 
 them, and leave the island, but they had sullenly- 
 refused. 
 
 The axe was now never parted with by Krantz. He 
 cut down what cocoa-nut trees they required for sub- 
 sistence, and prevented the men from notching more 
 trees, to procure the means of inebriation. On the 
 sixteenth day, all the money had passed into the hands 
 of three men who had been more fortunate than the 
 rest. The losers were now by far the more numerous 
 party, and the consequence was, that the next morning 
 these three men were found lying strangled on the beach ; 
 the money had been redivided, and the gambling had 
 recommenced with more vigour than ever. 
 
 *'How can this end.**" exclaimed Philip to Krantz, 
 as he looked upon the blackened countenances of the 
 murdered men. 
 
 " In the death of all," replied Krantz. " We cannot 
 prevent it. It is a judgment." 
 
 The raft was now ready ; the sand had been dug from 
 beneath it, so as to allow the water to flow in and float 
 it, and it was now made fast to a stake, and riding on 
 the peaceful waters. A large store of cocoa-nuts, old 
 and young, had been procured and put on board of her, 
 and it was the intention of Philip and Krantz to have 
 quitted the island the next day. 
 
 Unfortunately, one of the men, when bathing, had 
 perceived the arms lying in the shallow water. He had 
 dived down and procured a cutlass ; others had followed 
 his example, and all had armed themselves. This induced 
 Philip and Krantz to sleep on board of the raft, and 
 keep watch ; and that night, as the play was going on, 
 a heavy loss on one side ended in a general fray. The 
 combat was furious, for all were more or less excited by 
 intoxication. The result was melancholy, for only three 
 were left alive. Philip, with Krantz, watched the issue ; 
 every man who fell wounded was put to the sword, 
 and the three left, who had been fighting on the same 
 
The Phantom Ship * 277 
 
 side, rested panting on their weapons. After a pause, 
 two of them communicated with each other, and the 
 result was an attack upon the third man, who fell dead 
 beneath their blows. 
 
 " Merciful Father ! are these Thy creatures ? " exclaimed 
 Philip. 
 
 "No!" replied Krantz, "they worshipped the devil 
 as Mammon. Do you imagine that those two, who 
 could now divide more wealth than they could well 
 spend if they return to their country, will consent to 
 a division ? Never ! — they must have all — yes, all." 
 
 Krantz had hardly expressed his opinion, when one of 
 the men, taking advantage of the other turning round a 
 moment from him, passed his sword through his back. 
 The man fell with a groan, and the sword was again 
 passed through his body. 
 
 " Said I not so ? But the treacherous villain shall not 
 reap his reward," continued Krantz, levelling the musket 
 which he held in his hand, and shooting him dead. 
 
 " You have done wrong, Krantz ; you have saved him 
 from the punishment he deserved. Left alone on the 
 island, without the means of obtaining his subsistence, he 
 must have perished miserably and by inches, with all his 
 money round him — that would have been torture indeed ! " 
 
 "Perhaps I was wrong. If so, may Providence forgive 
 me, I could not help it. Let us go ashore, for we are 
 now on this island alone. We must collect the treasure 
 and bury it, so that it may be recovered ; and, at the same 
 time, take a portion with us — for who knows but that we 
 may have occasion for it. To-morrow we had better 
 remain here, for we shall have enough to do in burying 
 the bodies of these infatuated men, and the wealth which 
 has caused their destruction." 
 
 Philip agreed to the propriety of the suggestion ; the 
 next day they buried the bodies where they lay ; and the 
 treasure was all collected in a deep trench, under a cocoa- 
 nut tree, which they carefully marked with their axe. 
 About five hundred pieces of gold were selected and taken 
 
278 The Phantom Ship 
 
 on board of the raft, with the intention of secreting them 
 about their persons, and resorting to them in case of need. 
 The following morning they hoisted their sail and 
 quitted the island. Need it be said in what direction they 
 steered ? As may be well imagined, in that quarter where 
 they had last seen the raft with the isolated Amine. 
 
 Chapter XXVII 
 
 The raft was found to answer well ; and although her 
 progress through the water was not very rapid, she 
 obeyed the helm and was under command. Both Philip 
 and Krantz were very careful in taking such marks and 
 observations of the island as should enable them, if 
 necessary, to find it again. With the current to assist 
 them, they now proceeded rapidly to the southward, in 
 order that they might examine a large island which lay in 
 that direction. Their object, after seeking for Amine, 
 was to find out the direction of Ternate ; the king of 
 which they knew to be at variance with the Portuguese, 
 who had a fort and factory at Tidore, not very far distant 
 from it ; and from thence to obtain a passage in one of the 
 Chinese junks, which, on their way to Bantam, called at 
 that island. 
 
 Towards evening they had neared the large island, and 
 they soon ran down it close to the beach. Philip's eyes 
 wandered in every direction to ascertain whether anything 
 on the shore indicated the presence of Amine's raft, but he 
 could perceive nothing of the kind, nor did he see any 
 inhabitants. 
 
 That they might not pass the object of their search 
 during the night, they ran their raft on shore, in a small 
 cove, where the waters were quite smooth, and remained 
 there until the next morning, when they again made sail 
 and prosecuted their voyage. Krantz was steering with 
 the long sweep they had fitted for the purpose, when he 
 observed Philip, who had been for some time silent, take 
 
The Phantom Ship 279 
 
 from his breast the rehc which he wore, and gaze atten- 
 tively upon it. 
 
 " Is that your picture, Philip ? " observed Krantz. 
 
 " Alas ! No, it is my destiny," replied Philip, answering 
 without reflection. 
 
 *' Your destiny ! What mean you ? " 
 
 " Did I say my destiny ? I hardly know what I said," 
 replied Philip, replacing the relic in his bosom. 
 
 " I rather think you said more than you intended," 
 replied Krantz, *' but at the same time, something near the 
 truth. I have often perceived you with that trinket in 
 your hand, and I have not forgotten how anxious Schriften 
 was to obtain it, and the consequences of his attempt upon 
 it. Is there not some secret — some mystery attached to it ? 
 Surely, if so, you must now sufficiently know me as your 
 friend, to feel me worthy of your confidence." 
 
 " That you are my friend, Krantz, I feel — my sincere 
 and much valued friend, for we have shared much danger 
 together, and that is sufficient to make us friends — that I 
 could trust you, I believe, but I feel as if I dare not trust 
 anyone. There is a mystery attached to this relic (for a 
 relic it is), which as yet has been confided to my wife and 
 holy men alone." 
 
 " And if trusted to holy men, surely it may be trusted 
 to sincere friendship, than which nothing is more holy." 
 
 " But I have a presentiment that the knowledge of my 
 secret would prove fatal to you. Why I feel such a 
 presentiment I know not ; but I feel it, Krantz ; and I 
 cannot afford to lose you, my valued friend." 
 
 " You will not, then, make use of my friendship, it 
 appears," replied Krantz. " I have risked my life with 
 you before now, and I am not to be deterred from the 
 duties of friendship by a childish foreboding on your 
 part, the result of an agitated mind and a weakened 
 body. Can anything be more absurd than to suppose, 
 that a secret confided to me can be pregnant with danger, 
 unless it be, indeed, that my zeal to assist you may lead 
 me into difficulties. I am not of a prying disposition; 
 
28o The Phantom Ship 
 
 but we have been so long connected together, and are 
 now so isolated from the rest of the world, that it appears 
 to me it would be a solace to you, were you to confide 
 in one whom you can trust, what evidently has long 
 preyed upon your mind. The consolation and advice of 
 a friend, Philip, are not to be despised, and you will 
 feel relieved if able to talk over with him a subject which 
 evidently oppresses you. If, therefore, you value my 
 friendship, let me share with you in your sorrows." 
 
 There are few who have passed through life so quietly, 
 as not to recollect how much grief has been assuaged by 
 confiding its cause to, and listening to the counsels and 
 consolations of, some dear friend. It must not therefore 
 appear surprising, that, situated as he was, and oppressed 
 with the loss of Amine, Philip should regard Krantz as 
 one to whom he might venture to confide his important 
 secret. He commenced his narrative with no injunctions, 
 for he felt that if Krantz could not respect his secret for 
 his secret's sake, or from good-will towards him, he was 
 not likely to be bound by any promise ; and as, during 
 the day, the raft passed by the various small capes and 
 headlands of the island, he poured into Krantz's ear the 
 history which the reader is acquainted with. " Now 
 you know all," said Philip with a deep sigh, as the 
 narrative was concluded. " What think you ? Do you 
 credit my strange tale, or do you imagine, as some well 
 would, that it is a mere phantom of a disordered brain ? " 
 
 ** That it is not so, Philip, I believe," replied Krantz ; 
 " for I too have had ocular proof of the correctness of 
 a part of your history. Remember how often I have 
 seen this Phantom Ship — and if your father is permitted 
 to range over the seas, why should you not be selected 
 and permitted to reverse his doom ? I fully believe 
 every word that you have told me, and since you have 
 told me this, I can comprehend much that in your be- 
 haviour at times appeared unaccountable -, there are many 
 who would pity you, Philip, but I envy you." 
 
 " Envy me ? " cried Philip. 
 
The Phantom Ship 281 
 
 " Yes ! envy you : and gladly would I take the burden 
 of your doom on my own shoulders, were it only possible. 
 Is it not a splendid thought that you are summoned to 
 so great a purpose, — that instead of roaming through 
 the world as we all do in pursuit of wealth, which 
 possibly we may lose after years of cost and hardship, 
 by the venture of a day, and which, at all events, we 
 must leave behind us, — you are selected to fulfil a great 
 and glorious work — the work of angels, I may say — 
 that of redeeming the soul of a father, suffering indeed, 
 for his human frailties, but not doomed to perish for 
 eternity ; you have, indeed, an object of pursuit worthy 
 of all the hardships and dangers of a maritime life. If 
 it ends in your death, what then ? "Where else end 
 our futile cravings, our continual toil, after nothing ? 
 We all must die — but how few — who indeed besides 
 yourself — was ever permitted before his death to ransom 
 the soul of the author of his existence ! Yes, Philip, 
 I envy you ! " 
 
 " You think and speak like Amine. She too is of 
 a wild and ardent soul, that would mingle with the 
 beings of the other world, and hold intelligence with 
 disembodied spirits." 
 
 " She is right," replied Krantz ; " there are events 
 in my life, or rather connected with my family, which 
 have often fully convinced me that this is not only possible 
 but permitted. Your story has only corroborated what 
 I already believed." 
 
 ** Indeed! Krantz?" 
 
 " Indeed, yes j but of that hereafter : the night is 
 closing in, we must again put our little bark in safety 
 for the night, and there is a cove which I think appears 
 suited for the purpose." 
 
 Before morning, a strong breeze right on shore had 
 sprung up, and the surf became so high as to en- 
 danger the raft ; to continue their course was impossible ; 
 they could only haul up their raft to prevent its being 
 dashed to pieces by the force of the waves, as the seas 
 
282 The Phantom Ship 
 
 broke on the shore. Philip's thoughts were, as usual, 
 upon Amine, and as he watched the tossing waters, as 
 the sunbeams lightened up their crests, he exclaimed, 
 " Ocean ! hast thou my Amine ? If so, give up thy 
 dead ! What is that ? " continued he, pointing to a 
 speck on the horizon. 
 
 " The sail of a small craft of some description or 
 another," replied Krantz ; " and apparently coming down 
 before the wind to shelter herself in the very nook we 
 have selected." 
 
 " You are right ; it is the sail of a vessel, of one of 
 those peroquas which skim over these seas — how she 
 rises on the swell ! — she is full of men, apparently." 
 
 The peroqua rapidly approached, and was soon close to 
 the beach ; the sail was lowered, and she was backed in 
 through the surf. 
 
 ** Resistance is useless should they prove enemies," 
 observed Philip. " We shall soon know our fate." 
 
 The people in the peroqua took no notice of them, until 
 the craft had been hauled up and secured ; three of them 
 then advanced towards Philip and Krantz, with spears in 
 their hands, but evidently with no hostile intentions. One 
 addressed them in Portuguese, asking them who they 
 were ? 
 
 " We are Hollanders," replied Philip. 
 
 "A part of the crew of the vessel which was wrecked?" 
 inquired he. 
 
 " Yes ! " 
 
 ** You have nothing to fear — you are enemies to the 
 Portuguese, and so are we. We belong to the island of 
 Ternate — our king is at war with the Portuguese, who 
 are villains. Where are your companions ? on which 
 island?" 
 
 " They are all dead," replied Philip ; " may I ask you 
 whether you have fallen in with a woman, who was adrift 
 on a part of the raft by herself? or have you heard of 
 her?" 
 
 " We have heard that a woman was picked up on the 
 
The Phantom Ship 283 
 
 beach to the southward, and carried away by the Tidore 
 people to the Portuguese settlement, on the supposition 
 that she was a Portuguese." 
 
 "Then God be thanked, she is saved," cried Philip. 
 " Merciful Heaven ! accept my thanks. — To Tidore you 
 said?" 
 
 " Yes ; we are at war with the Portuguese, we cannot 
 take you there." 
 
 *' No ! but we shall meet again." 
 
 The person who accosted them was evidently of some 
 consequence. His dress was, to a certain degree, 
 Mahometan, but mixed up with Malay — he carried arms in 
 his girdle and a spear in his hand ; his turban was of 
 printed chintz ; and his deportment, like most persons of 
 rank in that country, was courteous and dignified. 
 
 " We are now returning to Ternate, and will take you 
 with us. Our king will be pleased to receive any 
 Hollanders, especially as you are enemies to the Portuguese 
 dogs. I forgot to tell you that we have one of your 
 companions with us in the boat ; we picked him up at sea, 
 much exhausted, but he is now doing well." 
 
 "Who can it be ?" observed Krantz, "it must be some 
 one belonging to some other vessel." 
 
 "No,"^'replied Philip, shuddering, "it must be Schriften." 
 
 "Then my eyes must behold him before I believe it," 
 replied Krantz. 
 
 "Then believe your eyes," replied Philip, pointing to the 
 form of Schriften, who was now walking towards them. 
 
 " Mynheer Vanderdecken, glad to see you. Mynheer 
 Krantz, I hope you are well. How lucky that we should 
 all be saved. He ! he ! " 
 
 " The ocean has then, indeed, given up its dead, as I 
 requested," thought Philip. 
 
 In the meantime, Schriften, without making any re- 
 ference to the way in which they had so unceremoniously 
 parted company, addressed Krantz with apparent good- 
 humour, and some slight tinge of sarcasm. It was some 
 time before Krantz could rid himself of him. 
 
284 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " What think you of him, Krantz ? " 
 
 " That he is a part of the whole, and has his destiny to 
 fulfil as well as you. He has his part to play in this 
 wondrous mystery, and will remain until it is finished. 
 Think not of him. Recollect, your Amine is safe." 
 
 "True," replied Philip, "the wretch is not worth a 
 thought ; we have now nothing to do but to embark with 
 these people ; hereafter we may rid ourselves of him, and 
 strive then to rejoin my dearest Amine." 
 
 Chapter XXVIII 
 
 When Amine again came to her senses, she found herself 
 lying on the leaves of the palmetto, in a small hut. A 
 hideous black child sat by her, brushing off the flies. 
 Where was she ? 
 
 The raft had been tossed about for two days, during 
 which Amine remained in a state of alternate delirium and 
 stupor. Driven by the current and the gale, it had been 
 thrown on shore on the eastern end of the coast of New 
 Guinea. She had been discovered by some of the natives, 
 who happened to be on the beach trafficking with some of 
 the Tidore people. At first, they hastened to rid her of 
 her garments, although they perceived that she was not 
 dead ; but before they had left her as naked as themselves, 
 a diamond of great value, which had been given to her by 
 Philip, attracted the attention of one of the savages ; failing 
 in his attempt to pull it off, he pulled out a rusty, blunt 
 knife, and was busily sawing at the finger, when an old 
 woman of authority interfered and bade him desist. The 
 Tidore people, also, who were friends with the Portuguese, 
 pointed out, that to save one of that nation would ensure a 
 reward ; they stated moreover, that they would, on their 
 return, inform the people of the factory establishment that 
 one of their country-women had been thrown on shore on 
 a raft. — To this Amine owed the care and attention that 
 was paid to her; that part of New Guinea being some- 
 
The Phantom Ship 285 
 
 what civilised by occasional intercourse with the Tidore 
 people, who came there to exchange European finery and 
 trash for the more useful productions of the island. 
 
 The Papoos woman carried Amine into her hut, and 
 there she lay for many days, wavering between life and 
 death, carefully attended, but requiring little, except the 
 moistening of her parched lips with water, and the 
 brushing oiFof the mosquitoes and flies. 
 
 When Amine opened her eyes, the little Papoos ran out 
 to acquaint the woman who followed her into the hut. 
 She was of large size, very corpulent and unwieldy, with 
 little covering on her body ; her hair, which was woolly in 
 its texture, was partly parted, partly frizzled ; a cloth 
 round her waist, and a piece of faded yellow silk on her 
 shoulders, was all her dress. A few silver rings on her 
 fat fingers, and a necklace of mother-of-pearl, were her 
 ornaments. Her teeth were jet black, from the use of the 
 betel-nut, and her whole appearance was such as to excite 
 disgust in the breast of Amine. 
 
 She addressed Amine, but her words were unintelligible : 
 and the sufferer, exhausted with the slight effort she had 
 made, fell back into her former position, and closed her 
 eyes. But if the woman was disgusting, she was kind ; 
 and by her attention and care Amine was able, in the 
 course of three weeks, to crawl out of the hut and enjoy 
 the evening breeze. The natives of the island would at 
 times surround her, but they treated her with respect, 
 from fear of the old woman. Their woolly hair was 
 frizzled or plaited, sometimes powdered white with 
 chunam. A few palmetto leaves round the waist and 
 descending to the knee, was their only attire ; rings 
 through the nose and ears, and feathers of birds, 
 particularly the bird of paradise, were their ornaments : 
 but their language was wholly unintelligble. Amine felt 
 grateful for life ; she sat under the shade of the trees, and 
 watched the swift peroquas as they skimmed the blue sea 
 which was expanded before her ; but her thoughts were 
 elsewhere — they were on Philip. 
 
286 The Phantom Ship 
 
 One morning Amine came out of the hut, with joy on 
 her countenance, and took her usual seat under the trees. 
 ** Yes, mother, dearest mother, I thank thee ; thou hast 
 appeared to me j thou hast recalled to me thy arts, which I 
 had forgotten, and had I but the means of conversing with 
 these people, even now would I know where my Philip 
 might be." 
 
 For two months did Amine remain under the care of the 
 Papoos woman. When the Tidore people returned, they 
 had an order to bring the white woman, who had been 
 cast on shore, to the Factory, and repay those who had 
 taken charge of her. They made signs to Amine, who 
 had now quite recovered her beauty, that she was to go 
 with them. Any change was preferable to staying where 
 she was, and Amine followed them down to a peroqua, on 
 which she was securely fixed, and was soon darting 
 through the water with her new companions •, and, as 
 they flew along the smooth seas. Amine thought of Philip's 
 dream and the mermaid's shell. 
 
 By the evening they had arrived at the southern point 
 of Galolo, where they landed for the night ; the next day 
 they gained the place of their destination, and Amine was 
 led up to the Portuguese factory. 
 
 That the curiosity of those who were stationed there 
 was roused is not to be wondered at, the history given by 
 the natives of Amine's escape appeared so miraculous. 
 From the Commandant to the lowest servant, every one 
 was waiting to receive her. The beauty of Amine, her 
 perfect form, astonished them. The Commandant 
 addressed a long compliment to her in Portuguese, and 
 was astonished that she did not make a suitable reply ; but 
 as Amine did not understand a word that he said, it 
 would have been more surprising if she had. 
 
 As Amine made signs that she could not understand the 
 language, it was presumed that she was either English or 
 Dutch, and an interpreter was sent for. She then 
 explained that she was the wife of a Dutch captain, whose 
 vessel had been wrecked, and that she did not know 
 
The Phantom Ship 287 
 
 whether the crew had been saved or not. The Portuguese 
 were very glad to hear that a Dutch vessel had been 
 wrecked, and very glad that so lovely a creature as Amine 
 had been saved. She was informed by the Commandant 
 that she was welcome, and that during her stay there 
 everything should be done to make her comfortable ; that 
 in three months they expected a vessel from the Chinese 
 seas, proceeding to Goa, and that, if inclined, she should 
 have a passage to Goa in that vessel, and from that city 
 she would easily find other vessels to take her wherever 
 she might please to go ; she was then conducted to an 
 apartment, and left with a little negress to attend upon her. 
 
 The Portuguese Commandant was a small, meagre, 
 little man, dried up to a chip, from long sojourning under 
 a tropical sun. He had very large whiskers, and a very 
 long sword ; these were the two most remarkable features 
 in his person and dress. 
 
 His attentions could not be misinterpreted, and Amine 
 would have laughed at him, had she not been fearful 
 that she might be detained. In a few weeks, by due 
 attention, she gained the Portuguese language so far as 
 to ask for what she required, and before she quitted the 
 island of Tidore she could converse fluently. But her 
 anxiety to leave, and to ascertain what had become of 
 Philip, became greater every day j and at the expiration 
 of the three months, her eyes were continually bent to 
 seaward, to catch the first glimpse of the vessel which 
 was expected. At last it appeared, and as Amine watched 
 the approach of the canvas from the west, the Com- 
 mandant fell on his knees, and declaring his passion, 
 requested her not to think of departure, but to unite her 
 fate with his. 
 
 Amine was cautious in her reply, for she knew that 
 she was in his power. " She must first receive in- 
 telhgence of her husband's death, which was not yet 
 certain ; she would proceed to Goa, and if she discovered 
 that she was single, she would write to him." 
 
 This answer, as it will be discovered, was the cause 
 
288 The Phantom Ship 
 
 of great suffering to Philip : the Commandant, fully- 
 assured that he could compass Philip's death, was satisfied 
 — declared that, as soon as he had any positive intelligence, 
 he would bring it to Goa himself, and made a thousand 
 protestations of truth and fidelity. 
 
 " Fool ! " thought Amine, as she watched the ship,^ 
 which was now close to the anchorage. 
 
 In half-an-hour the vessel had anchored, and the people 
 had landed. Amine observed a priest with them, as they 
 walked up to the fort. She shuddered — she knew not 
 why ; when they arrived, she found herself in the presence 
 of Father Mathias. 
 
 Chapter XXIX 
 
 Both Amine and Father Mathias started, and drew back 
 with surprise at this unexpected meeting. Amine was 
 the first to extend her hand ; she had almost forgotten 
 at the moment how they had parted, in the pleasure she 
 experienced in meeting with a well-known face. 
 
 Father Mathias coldly took her hand, and laying his 
 own upon her head, said : ** May God bless thee, and 
 forgive thee, my daughter, as I have long done." Then 
 the recollection of what had passed, rushed into Amine's 
 mind, and she coloured deeply. 
 
 Had Father Mathias forgiven her ? The event would 
 show; but this is certain, he now treated her as an old 
 friend : listened with interest to. her history of the wreck, 
 and agreed with her upon the propriety of her accompany- 
 ing him to Goa. 
 
 In a few days the vessel sailed, and Amine quitted 
 the Factory and its enamoured Commandant. They ran 
 through the Archipelago in safety, and were crossing 
 the mouth of the Bay of Bengal, without having had 
 any interruption to fine weather. 
 
The Phantom Ship 289 
 
 Father Mathias had returned to Lisbon, when he 
 quitted Ternicore, and, tired of idleness, had again 
 volunteered to proceed as a missionary to India. He 
 had arrived at Formosa, and shortly after his arrival, 
 had received directions from his superior to return on 
 important business to Goa, and thus it was that he fell 
 in with Amine at Tidore. 
 
 It would be difficult to analyse the feelings of Father 
 Mathias towards Amine — they varied so often. At one 
 moment, he would call to mind the kindness shown to 
 him by her and Philip — the regard he had for the husband, 
 and the many good qualities which he acknowledged that 
 she possessed — and noiju he would recollect the disgrace, 
 the unmerited disgrace, he had suffered through her 
 means ; and he would then canvass, whether she really 
 did believe him an intruder in her chamber for other 
 motives than those which actuated him, or whether she 
 had taken advantage of his indiscretion. These accounts 
 were nearly balanced in his mind ; he could have forgiven 
 all, if he had thought that Amine was a sincere convert 
 to the church ; but his strong conviction that she was 
 not only an unbeliever, but that she practised forbidden 
 arts, turned the scale against her. He watched her 
 narrowly, and when, in her conversation, she shewed 
 any religious feeling, his heart warmed towards her ; 
 but when, on the contrary, any words escaped her lips 
 which seemed to show that she thought lightly of his 
 creed, then the full tide of indignation and vengeance 
 poured into his bosom. 
 
 It was in crossing the Bay of Bengal, to pass round the 
 southern cape of Ceylon, that they first met with bad 
 weather ; and when the storm increased, the superstitious 
 seamen lighted candles before the small image of the saint 
 which was shrined on deck. Amine observed it, and 
 smiled with scorn ; and as she did so, almost unwittingly, 
 she perceived that the eye of Father Mathias was earnestly 
 £xed upon her. 
 
 " The Papooses I have just left do no worse than 
 p.s. T 
 
290 The Phantom Ship 
 
 worship their idols, and are termed idolaters," muttered 
 Amine. " What then are these Christians ? " 
 
 "Would you not be better below ? " said Father Mathias, 
 coming over to Amine ; ** this is no time for women to be 
 on deck — they would be better employed in offering up 
 prayers for safety." 
 
 " Nay, Father, I can pray better here ; I like this conflict 
 of the elements ; and as I view, I bow down in admiration 
 of the Deity who rules the storm ; who sends the winds 
 forth in their wrath, or soothes them into peace." 
 
 "It is well said, my child," replied Father Mathias ; 
 ** but the Almighty is not only to be worshipped in His 
 works, but, in the closet, with meditation, self-examination, 
 and faith. Hast thou followed up the precepts which 
 thou hast been taught ? hast thou reverenced the sublime 
 mysteries which have been unfolded to thee ? " 
 
 " I have done my best. Father," replied Amine, turning 
 away her head, and watching the rolling wave. 
 
 "Hast thou called upon the Holy Virgin, and upon 
 the saints — those intercessors for mortals erring like 
 thyself.?" 
 
 Amine made no answer ; she did not wish to irritate the 
 priest, neither would she tell an untruth. 
 
 ** Answer me, child," continued the priest with 
 severity. 
 
 " Father," replied Amine, " I have appealed to God 
 alone — the God of the Christians — the God of the whole 
 universe ! " 
 
 " Who believes not everything, believes nothing, young 
 woman. I thought as much ! I saw thee smile with 
 scorn just now •, why didst thou smile .? " 
 
 " At my own thoughts, good Father." 
 
 ** Say rather, at the true faith shown by others." 
 
 Amine made no answer. 
 
 " Thou art still an unbeliever, and a heretic. Beware, 
 young woman ! beware ! " 
 
 " Beware of what, good Father ? why should I beware ? 
 Are there not millions in these climes more unbelieving, 
 
The Phantom Ship 291 
 
 and more heretic, perhaps, than I ? How many have you 
 converted to your faith ? What trouble, what toil, what 
 dangers have you not undergone to propagate that creed 
 — and why do you succeed so ill ? Shall I tell you, 
 Father ? It is because the people have already had a 
 creed of their own : a creed taught to them from their 
 infancy, and acknowledged by all who live about them. 
 Am I not in the same position ? I was brought up in 
 another creed : and can you expect that that can be 
 dismissed, and the prejudices of early years at once 
 eradicated ? I have thought much of what you have 
 told me — have felt that much is true — that the tenets of 
 your creed are god-like — is not that much ? and yet you 
 are not content. You would have blind acknowledgment, 
 blind obedience — I were then an unworthy convert. We 
 shall soon be in port, then teach me, and convince me, 
 if you will ; I am ready to examine and confess, but 
 on conviction only. Have patience, good Father, and 
 the time may come when I may feel, what now I do 
 not; — that yon bit of painted wood is a thing to bow 
 down to and adore." 
 
 Notwithstanding this taunt at the close of this speech, 
 there was so much truth in the observations of Amine, 
 that Father Mathias felt their power. As the wife of 
 a Catholic, he had been accustomed to view Amine as one 
 who had backslided from the church of Rome — not as one 
 who had been brought up in another creed. He now 
 recalled to mind, that she had never yet been received 
 into the church, for Father Seysen had not considered 
 her as in a proper state to be admitted, and had deferred 
 her baptism until he was satisfied of her full belief. 
 
 "You speak boldly, but you speak as you feel, my 
 child," replied Father Mathias after a pause. " We will, 
 when we arrive at Goa, talk over these things, and with 
 the blessing of God, the new faith shall be made manifest 
 to you." 
 
 ** So be it," replied Amine. 
 
 Little did the priest imagine that Amine's thoughts were 
 
292 The Phantom Ship 
 
 at that moment upon a dream she had had at New Guinea^ 
 in which her mother appeared, and revealed to her her 
 magic arts — and that Amine was longing to arrive at Goa 
 that she might practise them. 
 
 Every hour the gale increased, and the vessel laboured 
 and leaked ; the Portuguese sailors were frightened, and 
 invoked their saints. Father Mathias, and the other 
 passengers, gave themselves up for lost, for the pumps 
 could not keep the vessel free ; and their cheeks blanched 
 as the waves washed furiously over the vessel : they 
 prayed and trembled. Father Mathias gave them absolu- 
 tion ; some cried like children, some tore their hair, some 
 cursed, and cursed the saints they had but the day before 
 invoked. But Amine stood unmoved; and as she heard 
 them curse, she smiled in scorn. 
 
 "My child," said Father Mathias, checking his tremulous 
 voice that he might not appear agitated before one whom 
 he saw so calm and unmoved amidst the roaring of the 
 elements — " My child, let not this hour of peril pass 
 away. Before thou art summoned, let me receive thee 
 into the bosom of our church — give thee pardon for thy 
 sins, and certainty of bliss hereafter." 
 
 " Good Father, Amine is not to be frightened into 
 belief, even if she feared the storm," replied she ; " nor 
 will she credit your power to forgive her sins, merely 
 because she says, in fear, that which in her calm reason 
 she might reject. If ever fear could have subjected me, 
 it was when I was alone upon the raft — that was indeed 
 a trial of my strength of mind, the bare recollection of 
 which is, at this moment, more dreadful than the storm 
 now raging, and the death which may await us. There 
 is a God on high in whose mercy I trust — in whose 
 love I confide — to whose will I bow. Let Him do His 
 will." 
 
 " Die not, my child, in unbelief ! "• 
 
 " Father," replied Amine, pointing to the passengers 
 and seamen who were on the deck crying and wailing : 
 '* these are Christians — these men have been promised 
 
The Phantom Ship 293 
 
 by you, but now, the inheritance of perfect bliss. What 
 is their faith, that it does not give them strength to die 
 like men ? "Why is it that a woman quails not, while they 
 lie grovelling on the deck ? " 
 
 *'Life is sweet, my child — they leave their wives, their 
 children, and they dread hereafter. Who is prepared 
 to die?" 
 
 " I am," replied Amine. " I have no husband — at least 
 I fear I have no husband. For me life has no sweets ; 
 yet, one little hope remains — a straw to the sinking 
 wretch. I fear not death, for I have nought to live for. 
 Were Philip here, why, then indeed — but he is gone 
 before me, and now to follow him is all I ask." 
 
 "He died in the faith, my child — if you would meet 
 him, do the same." 
 
 "He never died like these," replied Amine, looking 
 with scorn at the passengers. 
 
 " Perhaps he lived not as they have lived," replied 
 Father Mathias. " A good man dies in peace, and hath 
 no fear." 
 
 "So die the good men of all creeds. Father," repHed 
 Amine ; " and in all creeds death is equally terrible to the 
 wicked." 
 
 " I will pray for thee, my child," said Father Mathias, 
 sinking on his knees. 
 
 " Many thanks — thy prayers will be heard, even though 
 offered for one like me," replied Amine, who, clinging to 
 the man-ropes, made her way up to the ladder, and gained 
 the deck. 
 
 " Lost ! signora, lost ! " exclaimed the captain, wringing 
 his hands as he crouched under the bulwark. 
 
 " No ! " replied Amine, who had gained the weather 
 side, and held on by a rope j " not lost this time." 
 
 " How say you, signora ? " replied the captain, looking 
 with admiration at Amine's calm and composed countenance. 
 " How say you, signora ? " 
 
 " Something tells me, good captain, that you will not 
 be lost, if you exert yourselves — something tells it to 
 
2 94 '^^^ Phantom Ship 
 
 me here," and Amine laid her hand to her heart. Amine 
 had a conviction that the vessel would not be lost, for 
 it had not escaped her observation that the storm was 
 less violent, although, in their terror, this had been 
 unnoticed by the sailors. 
 
 The coolness of Amine, her beauty, perhaps, the 
 unusual sight of a woman so young, calm and confiding, 
 when all others were in despair, had its due effect upon 
 the captain and seamen. Supposing her to be a Catholic 
 they imagined that she had had some warrant for her asser- 
 tion, for credulity and superstition are close friends. They 
 looked upon Amine with admiration and respect, 
 recovered their energies, and applied to their duties. 
 The pumps were again worked ; the storm abated during 
 the night, and the vessel was, as Amine had predicted, 
 saved. 
 
 The crew and passengers looked upon her almost as a 
 saint, and talked of her to Father Mathias, who was sadly 
 perplexed. The courage which she had displayed was 
 extraordinary ; even when he trembled, she showed no 
 sign of fear. He made no reply, but communed with 
 his own mind, and the result was unfavourable to Amine. 
 What had given her such coolness ? what had given 
 her the spirit of prophecy ? Not the God of the Christians, 
 for she was no believer. Who then ? and Father Mathias 
 thought of her chamber at Terneuse, and shook his 
 head. 
 
 Chapter XXX 
 
 We must now again return to Philip and Krantz, who had 
 a long conversation upon the strange re-appearance of 
 Schriften. All that they could agree upon was, that he 
 should be carefully watched, and that they should dispense 
 with his company as soon as possible. Krantz had inter- 
 rogated him as to his escape, and Schriften had informed 
 him, in his usual sneering manner, that one of the sweeps 
 
The Phantom Ship 295 
 
 of the raft had been allowed to get adrift during the scuffle, 
 and that he had floated on it, until he had gained a small 
 island ; that on seeing the peroqua, he had once more 
 launched it and supported himself by it, until he was per- 
 ceived and picked up. As there was nothing impossible 
 although much of the improbable in this account, Krantz 
 asked no more questions. The next morning, the wind 
 having abated, they launched the peroqua, and made sail 
 for the island of Ternate. 
 
 It was four days before they arrived : as every night 
 they landed and hauled up their craft on the sandy beach. 
 Philip's heart was relieved at the knowledge of Amine's 
 safety, and he could have been happy at the prospect of 
 again meeting her, had he not been so constantly fretted by 
 the company of Schriften. 
 
 There was something so strange, so contrary to human 
 nature that the little man, though diabolical as he appeared 
 to be in his disposition, should never hint at, or complain 
 of, Philip's attempts upon his life. Had he complained — 
 had he accused Philip of murder — had he vowed vengeance 
 and demanded justice on his return to the authorities, it 
 had been different; but no — there he was, making his 
 uncalled-for and impertinent observations, with his eternal 
 chuckle and sarcasm, as if he had not the least cause of 
 anger or ill-will. 
 
 As soon as they arrived at the principal port and town 
 of Ternate, they were conducted to a large cabin, built of 
 palmetto leaves and bamboo, and requested not to leave it 
 until their arrival had been announced to the king. The 
 peculiar courtesy and good breeding of these islanders was 
 the constant theme of remark of Philip and Krantz ; their 
 religion, as well as their dress, appeared to be a compound 
 of the Mahometan and Malayan. 
 
 After a few hours, they were summoned to attend the 
 audience of the king, held in the open air. The king was 
 seated under a portico, attended by a numerous concourse 
 of priests and soldiers. There was much company, but 
 little splendour. All who were about the king were robed 
 
296 The Phantom Ship 
 
 in white, with white turbans, but he himself was without 
 ornament. The first thing that struck Philip and Krantz, 
 when they were ushered into the presence of the king, was 
 the beautiful cleanliness which everywhere prevailed; every 
 dress was spotless and white,, as the sun could bleach it. 
 
 Having followed the example of those who introduced 
 them, and saluted the king after the Mahommedan custom, 
 they were requested to be seated ; and through the Portu- 
 guese interpreters — for the former communication of the 
 islanders with the Portuguese, who had been driven from 
 the place, made the Portuguese language well known by 
 many — a few questions were put by the king, who bade 
 them welcome, and then requested to know how they had 
 been wrecked. 
 
 Philip entered into a short detail, in which he stated that 
 his wife had been separated from him, and was, he under- 
 stood, in the hands of the Portuguese factory at Tidore. 
 He requested to know if his majesty could assist him in 
 obtaining her release, or in going to join her. 
 
 " It is well said," replied the king. " Let refreshments 
 be brought in for the strangers, and the audience be broken 
 up." 
 
 In a few minutes there remained of all the Court but two 
 or three of the king's confidential friends and advisers ; and 
 a collation of curries, fish, and a variety of other dishes was 
 served up. After it was over, the king then said, " The 
 Portuguese are dogs, they are our enemies — will you assist 
 us to fight them ? We have large guns, but do not under- 
 stand the use of them as well as you do. I will send a fleet 
 against the Portuguese at Tidore, if you will assist me. 
 Say, Hollanders, will you fight ? You," addressing Philip, 
 ** will then recover your wife." 
 
 " I will give an answer to you to-morrow," replied 
 Philip ; " I must consult with my friend. As I told you 
 before, I was the captain of the ship, and this was my 
 second in command — we will consult together." Schriften, 
 whom Philip had represented as a common seaman, had not 
 been brought up into the presence of the king. 
 
The Phantom Ship 297 
 
 **It is good," replied the king; "to-morrow we will 
 expect your reply." 
 
 Philip and Krantz took their leave, and, on their return 
 to the cabin, found that the king had sent them, as a 
 present, two complete Mahommedan dresses, with turbans. 
 These were welcome, for their own garments were sadly 
 tattered, and very unfit for exposure to the burning sun of 
 those climes. Their peaked hats too, collected the rays of 
 heat, which were intolerable ; and they gladly exchanged 
 them for the white turban. Secreting their money in the 
 Malayan sash, which formed a part of the attire, they soon 
 robed themselves in the native garments, the comfort of 
 which was immediately acknowledged. After a long con- 
 sultation, it was decided that they should accept the terms 
 offered by the king, as this was the only feasible way by 
 which Philip could hope to re-obtain possession of Amine. 
 Their consent was communicated to the king on the 
 following day, and every preparation was made for the 
 expedition. 
 
 And now was to be beheld a scene of bustle and activity. 
 Hundreds and hundreds of peroquas, of every dimension, 
 floating close to the beach, side by side, formed a raft 
 extending nearly half a mile on the smooth water of the 
 bay, teeming with men, who were equipping them for the 
 service : some were fitting the sails ; others were carpen- 
 tering where required ; the major portion were sharpening 
 their swords, and preparing the deadly poison of the pine- 
 apple for their creezes. The beach was a scene of 
 confusion : water in jars, bags of rice, vegetables, salt-fish, 
 fowls in coops, were everywhere strewed about among the 
 armed natives, who were obeying the orders of the chiefs, 
 who themselves walked up and down, dressed in their 
 gayest apparel, and glittering in their arms and ornaments. 
 The king had six long brass four-pounders, a present from 
 an Indian captain ; these, with a proportionate quantity of 
 shot and cartridges, were (under the direction of Philip 
 and Krantz) fitted on some of the largest peroquas, and 
 some of the natives were instructed how to use them. At 
 
298 The Phantom Ship 
 
 first the king, who fully expected the reduction of the 
 Portuguese fort, stated his determination to go in person ; 
 but in this he was overruled by his confidential advisers 
 and by the request of Philip, who could not allow him to 
 expose his valuable life. In ten days all was ready, and 
 the fleet, manned by seven thousand men, made sail for the 
 island of Tidore. 
 
 It was a beautiful sight, to behold the blue rippling sea, 
 covered with nearly six hundred of these picturesque craft, 
 all under sail, and darting through the water like dolphins 
 in pursuit of prey ; all crowded with natives, whose white 
 dresses formed a lively contrast with the deep blue of the 
 water. The large peroquas, in which were Philip and 
 Krantz with the native commanders, were gaily decorated 
 with streamers and pennons of all colours, that flowed out 
 and snapped with the fresh breeze. It appeared rather to 
 be an expedition of mirth and merriment, than one which 
 was proceeding to bloodshed and slaughter. 
 
 On the evening of the second day they had made the 
 island of Tidore, and run down to within a few miles of 
 the Portuguese factory and fort. The natives of the 
 country, who disliked, though they feared to disobey the 
 Portuguese, had quitted their huts near the beach and 
 retired into the woods. The fleet, therefore, anchored and 
 lay near the beach, without molestation, during the night. 
 The next morning Philip and Krantz proceeded to recon- 
 noitre. 
 
 The fort and factory of Tidore were built upon the same 
 principle as almost all the Portuguese defences in those seas. 
 An outer fortification, consisting of a ditch, with strong 
 palisades embedded in masonry, surrounded the factory and 
 all the houses of the establishment. The gates of the outer 
 wall were open all day for ingress and egress, and closed 
 only at night. On the seaward side of this enclosure was 
 what may be termed the citadel or real fortification ; it was 
 built of solid masonry with parapets, was surrounded by 
 a deep ditch, and was only accessible by a drawbridge, 
 mounted with cannon on every side. Its real strength 
 
The Phantom Ship 299 
 
 however, could not well be perceived, as it was hidden by 
 the high palisading which surrounded the whole establish- 
 ment. After a careful survey, Philip recommended that 
 the large peroquas with the cannon should attack by sea, 
 while the men of the small vessels should land and surround 
 the fort — taking advantage of every shelter which was 
 afforded them, to cover themselves while they harassed the 
 enemy with their matchlocks, arrows, and spears. This 
 plan having been approved of, one hundred and fifty 
 peroquas made sail ; the others were hauled on the beach, 
 and the men belonging to them proceeded by land. 
 
 But the Portuguese had been warned of their approach, 
 and were fully prepared to receive them ; the guns mounted 
 to the seaward were of heavy calibre and well served. 
 The guns of the peroquas, though rendered as effectual as 
 they could be, under the direction of Philip, were small, 
 and did little damage to the thick stone front of the fort. 
 After an engagement of four hours, during which the 
 Ternate people lost a great number of men, the peroquas, 
 by the advice of Philip and Krantz, hauled off, and 
 returned to where the remainder of the fleet were 
 stationed ; and another council of war was held. The 
 force, which had surrounded the fort on the land side, 
 was, however, not withdrawn, as it cut off any supplies or 
 assistance; and, at the same time, occasionally brought 
 down any of the Portuguese who might expose them- 
 selves — a point of no small importance, as Philip well 
 knew, with a garrison so small as that in the fort. 
 
 That they could not take the fort by means of their 
 cannon was evident ; on the sea-side it was for them 
 impregnable ; their efforts must now be directed to the 
 land. Krantz, after the native chiefs had done speaking, 
 advised that they should wait until dark, and then proceed 
 to the attack in the following way. "When the breeze 
 set along shore, which it would do in the evening, he 
 proposed that the men should prepare large bundles of 
 dry palmetto and cocoa-nut leaves; that they should 
 carry their bundles and stack them against the palisades 
 
300 The Phantom Ship 
 
 to windward, and then set fire to them. They would 
 thus burn down the palisades, and gain an entrance into 
 the outer fortification : after which they could ascertain 
 in what manner they should next proceed. This advice 
 was too judicious not to be followed. All the men who 
 had not matchlocks were set to collect fagots ; a large 
 quantity of dry wood was soon got together, and before 
 night they were ready for the second attack. 
 
 The white dresses of the Ternates were laid aside : 
 with nothing on them but their belts, and scimitars, and 
 creezes, and blue under-drawers, they silently crept up 
 to the palisades, there deposited their fagots, and then 
 again returned, again to perform the same journey. As 
 the breastwork of fagots increased, so did they more 
 boldly walk up, until the pile was completed ; they then, 
 with a loud shout, fired it in several places. The flames 
 mounted, the cannon of the fort roared, and many fell 
 under the discharges of grape and hand-grenade. But, 
 stifled by the smoke, which poured in volumes upon them, 
 the people in the fort were soon compelled to quit the 
 ramparts to avoid suffocation. The palisades were on 
 fire, and the flames mounting in the air, swept over, 
 and began to attack the factory and houses. No resistance 
 was now offered, and the Ternates tore down the burning 
 palisades, and forced their way into the entrenchment, 
 and with their scimitars and creezes, put to death all 
 who had been so unfortunate as not to take refuge in 
 the citadel. These were chiefly native servants, whom 
 the attack had surprised, and for whose lives the Portuguese 
 seemed to care but little, for they paid no attention to 
 their cries to lower the drawbridge, and admit them into 
 the fort. 
 
 The factory, built of stone, and all the other houses, 
 were on fire, and the island was lighted up for miles. 
 The smoke had cleared away, and the defences of the 
 fort were now plainly visible in the broad glare of the 
 flames. "If we had scaling-ladders," cried Philip, " the 
 fort would be ours j there is not a soul on the ramparts." 
 
The Phantom Ship 301 
 
 " True, true," replied Krantz, " but even as it is, the 
 factory walls will prove an advantageous post for us 
 after the fire is extinguished ; if we occupy it we can 
 prevent them showing themselves while the ladders are 
 constructing. To-morrow night we may have them 
 ready, and having first smoked the fort with a few more 
 fagots, we may afterwards mount the walls, and carry 
 the place." 
 
 "That will do," replied Philip as he walked away. 
 He then joined the native chiefs, who were collected 
 together outside of the entrenchment, and communicated 
 to them his plans. When he had made known his views, 
 and the chiefs had assented to them, Schriften, who had 
 come with the expedition unknown to Philip, made his 
 appearance. 
 
 "That won't do; you'll never take that fort, Philip 
 Vanderdecken. He ! he ! " cried Schriften. 
 
 Hardly had he said the words, when a tremendous 
 explosion took place, and the air was filled with large 
 stones, which flew and fell in every direction, killing and 
 maiming hundreds. It was the factory which had blown 
 up, for in its vaults there was a large quantity of gun- 
 powder, to which the fire had communicated. 
 
 " So ends that scheme. Mynheer Vanderdecken. He ! 
 he ! " screamed Schriften ; " you'll never take that fort." 
 
 The loss of life and the confusion caused by this 
 unexpected result, occasioned a panic, and all the Ternate 
 people fled down to the beach where their peroquas were 
 lying. 
 
 It was in vain that Philip and their chiefs attempted 
 to rally them. Unaccustomed to the terrible effects of 
 gunpowder in any large quantities, they believed that 
 something supernatural had occurred, and many of them 
 jumped into the peroquas and made sail, while the 
 remainder were confused, trembling, and panting, all 
 huddled together, on the beach. 
 
 " You'll never take that fort. Mynheer Vanderdecken," 
 screamed the well-known voice. 
 
302 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Philip raised his sword to cleave the little man in two, 
 but he let it fall again. " I fear he tells an unwelcome 
 truth," thought Philip ; " but why should I take his life 
 for that ? " 
 
 Some few of the Ternate chiefs still kept up their 
 courage, but the major part were as much alarmed as 
 their people. After some consultation, it was agreed 
 that the army should remain where it was till the next 
 morning, when they should finally decide what to do. 
 
 When the day dawned, now that the Portuguese fort 
 was no longer surrounded by the other buildings, they 
 perceived that it was more formidable than they had 
 at first supposed. The ramparts were filled with men, 
 and they were bringing cannon to bear on the Ternate 
 forces. Philip had a consultation with Krantz, and both 
 acknowledged, that with the present panic nothing more 
 could be done. The chiefs were of the same opinion, and 
 orders were given for the return of the expedition : indeed, 
 the Ternate chiefs were fully satisfied with their success ; 
 they had destroyed the large fort, the factory, and all the 
 Portuguese buildings ; a small fortification only was 
 uninjured : that was built of stone, and inaccessible, and 
 they knew that the report of what had been done, would 
 be taken and acknowledged by the king as a great victory. 
 The order was therefore given for embarkation, and in 
 two hoars the whole fleet, after a loss of about seven 
 hundred men, was again on its way to Ternate. Krantz 
 and' Philip this time embarked in the same peroqua, that 
 they might have the pleasure of each other's conversation. 
 They had not, however, sailed above three hours, when it 
 fell calm, and, towards the evening, there was every 
 prospect of bad weather. When the breeze again sprung 
 up, it was from an adverse quarter, but these vessels steer 
 so close to the wind, that this was disregarded : by mid- 
 night, however, the wind had increased to a gale, and 
 before they were clear of the N. E. headland of Tidore, it 
 blew a hurricane, and many were washed off into the sea 
 from the different craft, and those who could not swim, 
 
The Phantom Ship 303 
 
 sank, and were drowned. The sails were lowered, and 
 the vessels lay at the mercy of the wind and waves, every 
 sea washing over them. The fleet was drifting fast on the 
 shore, and before morning dawned, the vessel in which 
 were Philip and Krantz was among the rollers on the 
 beach off the northern end of the island. In a short time 
 she was dashed to pieces, and every one had to look out 
 for himself. Philip and Krantz laid hold of one fragment, 
 and were supported by it till they gained the shore ; here 
 they found about thirty more companions who had suffered 
 the same fate as themselves. When the day dawned, they 
 perceived that the major part of the fleet had weathered 
 the point, and that those who had not, would in all 
 probability escape, as the wind had moderated. 
 
 The Ternate people proposed, that as they were well 
 armed, they should, as soon as the weather moderated, 
 launch some of the craft belonging to the islanders, 
 and join the fleet ; but Philip, who had been consulting 
 with Krantz, considered this a good opportunity for 
 ascertaining the fate of Amine. As the Portuguese could 
 prove nothing against them, they could either deny that 
 they had been among the assailants, or might plead that 
 they had been forced to join them. At all risks, Philip 
 was determined to remain, and Krantz agreed to share his 
 fate : and seeming to agree with them, they allowed the 
 Ternate people to walk to the Tidore peroquas, and 
 while they were launching them Philip and Krantz fell 
 back into the jungle and disappeared. The Portuguese 
 had perceived the wreck of their enemies, and, irritated by 
 the loss they had sustained, they had ordered the people 
 of the island to go out and capture all who were driven 
 on shore. Now that they were no longer assailed, the 
 Tidore people obeyed them, and very soon fell in with 
 Philip and Krantz, who had quietly sat down under the 
 shade of a large tree, waiting the issue. They were led 
 away to the fort, where they arrived by nightfall. They 
 were ushered into the presence of the Commandant, the 
 ^ame little man who had made love to Amine, and as they 
 
304 The Phantom Ship 
 
 were dressed in Mussulman's attire, he was about to order 
 them to be hung, when Philip told him that they were 
 Dutchmen, who had been wrecked, and forced by the 
 King of Ternate to join his expedition ; that they had 
 taken the earliest opportunity of escaping, as was very 
 evident since those who had been thrown on shore with 
 them had got off in the island boats, while they chose to 
 remain. Whereupon the little Portuguese Commandant 
 struck his sword firm down on the pavement of the 
 ramparts, looked very big, and then ordered them to prison 
 for further examination. 
 
 Chapter XXXI 
 
 As every one descants upon the want of comfort in a 
 prison, it is to be presumed that there are no very 
 comfortable ones. Certainly that to which Philip and 
 Krantz were ushered, had anything rather than the air of 
 an agreeable residence. It was under the fort, with 
 a very small aperture looking towards the sea, for light 
 and air. It was very hot, and moreover destitute of all 
 those little conveniences which add so much to one's 
 happiness in modern houses and hotels. In fact, it 
 consisted of four bare walls, and a stone floor, and that 
 was all. 
 
 Philip, who wished to make some inquiries relative to 
 Amine, addressed, in Portuguese, the soldier who brought 
 them down. 
 
 << My good friend, I beg your pardon " 
 
 " I beg yours," replied the soldier going out of the door,, 
 and locking them in. 
 
 Philip leant gloomily against the wall ; Krantz, more 
 mercurial, walked up and down three steps each way and 
 turn. 
 
 **Do you know what I am thinking of?" observed 
 Krantz, after a pause in his walk. " It is very fortunate 
 that (lowering his voice) we have all our doubloons about 
 us ; if they don't search us, we may yet get away by bribing." 
 
The Phantom Ship 305 
 
 ** And I was thinking," rejoined Philip, " that I would 
 sooner be here than in company with that wretch Schriften, 
 whose sight is poison to me." 
 
 " I did not much admire the appearance of the Com- 
 mandant, but I suppose we shall know more to-morrow." 
 
 Here they were interrupted by the turning of the key, 
 and the entrance of a soldier with a chatty of water, and 
 a large dish of boiled rice. He was not the man who had 
 brought them to the dungeon, and Philip accosted hhn. 
 
 " You have had hard work within these last two days ? " 
 
 ** Yes, indeed ! signor." 
 
 ** The natives forced us to join the expedition, and we 
 escaped." 
 
 " So I heard you say, signor." 
 
 " They lost nearly a thousand men," said Krantz. 
 
 " Holy St Francis ! I am glad of it." 
 
 ** They will be careful how they attack Portuguese in a 
 hurry, I expect," rejoined Krantz. 
 
 " I think so," replied the soldier. 
 
 " Did you lose many men ? " ventured Philip, perceiving 
 that the man was loquacious. 
 
 " Not ten of our own people. In the factory there 
 were about a hundred of the natives, with some women 
 and children ; but that is of no consequence." 
 
 ** You had a young European woman here, I understand," 
 said Philip with anxiety ; ** one who was wrecked in a 
 vessel — was she among those who were lost .? " 
 
 " Young woman ! — Holy St Francis. Yes, now I 
 recollect. Why the fact is " 
 
 ** Pedro ! " called a voice from above ; the man stopped, 
 put his fingers to his lips, went out, and locked the door. 
 
 " God of Heaven ! give me patience," cried Philip ^ 
 " but this is too trying." 
 
 "He will be down here again to-morrow morning," 
 observed Krantz. 
 
 " Yes ! to-morrow morning ; but what an endless time 
 will suspense make of the intervening hours." 
 
 " I feel for you," replied Krantz ; " but what can be 
 p.s. u 
 
3o6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 done ? The hours must pass, though suspense draws them 
 out into interminable years ; but I hear footsteps." 
 
 Again the door was unlocked, and the first soldier made 
 his appearance. " Follow me — the Commandant would 
 speak with you." 
 
 This unexpected summons was cheerfully complied with 
 by Philip and his companion. They walked up the narrow 
 stone steps, and at last found themselves in a small room, 
 in presence of the Commandant, with whom our readers 
 have been already made acquainted. He was lolling on a 
 small sofa, his long sword lay on the table before him, and 
 two young native women were fanning him, one at his 
 head, and the other at his feet. 
 
 "Where did you get those dresses?" was the first 
 interrogatory. 
 
 " The natives, when they brought us prisoners from the 
 island on which we had saved ourselves, took away our 
 clothes, and gave us these as a present from their king." 
 
 " And engaged you to serve in their fleet, in the attack 
 on this fort ? " 
 
 " They forced us," replied Krantz ; "for as there was 
 no war between our nations, we objected to this service : 
 notwithstanding which, they put us on board, to make 
 the common people believe that they were assisted by 
 Europeans." 
 
 " How am I to know the truth of this ? " 
 
 " You have our word in the first place, and our escape 
 from them in the second." 
 
 " You belonged to a Dutch East-Indiaman. Are you 
 officers or common seamen .? " 
 
 Krantz, who considered that they were less likely to be 
 detained if they concealed their rank on board, gave Philip 
 a slight touch with his finger as he replied, " We are 
 inferior officers. I was third mate, and this man was 
 pilot." 
 
 " And your captain, where is he ? " 
 
 " I — I cannot say, whether he is alive or dead." 
 
 " Had you no woman on board ? " 
 
The Phantom Ship 307 
 
 *' Yes ! the captain had his wife." 
 
 " What has become of her ? " 
 
 ** She is supposed to have perished on a portion of the 
 raft which broke adrift." 
 
 **Ha!" replied the Commandant, who remained silent 
 for some time. 
 
 Philip looked at Krantz, as much as to say, ** Why all 
 this subterfuge ; " but Krantz gave him a sign to leave him 
 to speak. 
 
 " You say you don't know whether your captain is alive 
 or dead ? " 
 
 " I do." 
 
 " Now, suppose I was to give you your liberty, would 
 you have any objection to sign a paper, stating his death, 
 and swearing to the truth of it ? " 
 
 Philip stared at the Commandant, and then at Krantz. 
 
 ** I see no objection, exactly ; except that if it were 
 sent home to Holland we might get into trouble. May 
 I ask, signor Commandant, why you wish for such a 
 paper ? " 
 
 " No ! " roared the little man, in a voice like thunder. 
 ** I will give no reason, but that I wish it ; that is enough ; 
 take your choice — the dungeon, or liberty and a passage 
 by the first vessel which calls." 
 
 ** I don't doubt — in fact — I'm sure, he must be dead by 
 this time," replied Krantz, drawing out the words in a 
 musing manner. ** Commandant, will you give us till to- 
 morrow morning to make our calculations ? " 
 
 " Yes ! you may go." 
 
 " But not to the dungeon. Commandant," replied Krantz ; 
 <* we are not prisoners, certainly 5 and, if you wish us to 
 do you a favour, surely you will not ill-treat us ? " 
 
 ** By your own acknowledgment you have taken up 
 arms against the most Christian King -, however, you may 
 remain at liberty for the night — to-morrow morning will 
 decide whether or no you are prisoners." 
 
 Philip and Krantz thanked the little Commandant for 
 his kindness, and then hastened away to the ramparts. It 
 
3o8 The Phantom Ship 
 
 was now dark, and the moon had not yet made her appear- 
 ance. They sat there on the parapet, enjoying the breeze, 
 and feeling the deHght of liberty, even after their short 
 incarceration ; but, near to them, soldiers were either 
 standing or lying, and they spoke but in whispers. 
 
 ** What could he mean by requiring us to give a certifi- 
 cate of the captain*s death; and why did you answer as 
 you did?" 
 
 "Philip Vanderdecken, that I have often thought of the 
 fate of your beautiful wife, you may imagine ; and, when 
 I heard that she was brought here, I then trembled for 
 her. What must she appear, lovely as she is, when placed 
 in comparison with the women of this country ? And that 
 little Commandant — is he not the very person who would 
 be taken with her charms ? I denied our condition, be- 
 cause I thought he would be more likely to allow us our 
 liberty as humble individuals, than as captain and first 
 mate ; particularly as he suspects that we led on the 
 Ternate people to the attack; and when he asked for a 
 certificate of your death, I immediately imagined that he 
 wanted it in order to induce Amine to marry him. But 
 where is she ? is the question. If we could only find out 
 that soldier, we might gain some information." 
 
 " Depend upon it, she is here," replied Philip, clenching 
 his hands. 
 
 "I am inclined to think so," said Krantz ; " that she is 
 alive, I feel assured." 
 
 The conversation was continued until the moon rose,, 
 and threw her beams over the tumbling waters. Philip 
 and Krantz turned their faces towards the sea, and leant 
 over the battlements in silence ; after some time their 
 reveries were disturbed by a person coming up to them 
 with a " Buenos nodes, signorJ^ 
 
 Krantz immediately recognised the Portuguese soldier, 
 whose conversation with him had been interrupted. 
 
 " Good-night, my friend ! We thank Heaven that you 
 have no longer to turn the key upon us." 
 
 ** Yes, I'm surprised ! " replied the soldier, in a low 
 
The Phantom Ship 309 
 
 tone. " Our Commandant is fond of exercising his power ; 
 he rules here without appeal, that I can tell you." 
 
 "He is not within hearing of us now," replied Krantz. 
 **It is a lovely spot this to live in ! How long have you 
 been in this country ? " 
 
 " Now, thirteen years, signor, and I'm tired of it. I 
 have a wife and children in Oporto — that is, I had — but 
 whether they are alive or not, who can tell ? " 
 
 ** Do you not expect to return and see them ? " 
 
 " Return — signor ! no Portuguese soldier like me ever 
 returns. We are enlisted for five years, and we lay our 
 bones here." 
 
 " That is hard indeed." 
 
 " Hard, signor," replied the soldier in a low whisper ; 
 ** it is cruel and treacherous. I have often thought of 
 putting the muzzle of my arquebuse to my head ; but 
 while there's life there's hope." 
 
 " I pity you, my good fellow," rejoined Krantz ; " look 
 you, I have two gold pieces left — take one ; you may be 
 able to send it home to your poor wife." 
 
 " And here is one of mine, too, my good fellow," added 
 Philip, putting another in his hand. 
 
 " Now may all the saints preserve you, signors," replied 
 the soldier, " for it is the first act of kindness shown to 
 me for many years — not that my wife and children have 
 much chance of ever receiving it." 
 
 *' You were speaking about a young European woman 
 when we were in the dungeon," observed Krantz, after a 
 pause. 
 
 " Yes, signor, she was a very beautiful creature. Our 
 Commandant was very much in love with her." 
 
 " Where is she now ? " 
 
 " She went away to Goa, in company with a priest who 
 knew her, Father Mathias, a good old man ; he gave me 
 absolution when he was here." 
 
 " Father Mathias ! " exclaimed Philip ; but a touch from 
 Krantz checked him. 
 
 ** You say the Commandant loved her ? " 
 
3IO The Phantom Ship 
 
 " O yes ; the little man was quite mad about her •, and 
 had it not been for the arrival of Father Mathias, he would 
 never have let her go, that Fm sure of, although she was 
 another man's wife." 
 
 " Sailed for Goa, you said ? " 
 
 " Yes, in a ship which called here. She must have been 
 very glad to have got away, for our little Commandant 
 persecuted her all day long, and she evidently was grieving 
 for her husband. Do you know, signors, if her husband is 
 alive ? " 
 
 ** No, we do not ; we have heard nothing of him." 
 
 " Well, if he is, I hope he will not come here ; for 
 should the Commandant have him in his power, it would 
 go hard with him. He is a man who sticks at nothing. 
 He is a brave little fellow, that cannot be denied •, but to 
 get possession of that lady, he would remove all obstacles 
 at any risk— and a husband is a very serious one, signors. 
 Well, signors," continued the soldier, after a pause, " I 
 had better not be seen here too Jong ; you may command 
 me if you want anything ; recollect, my name is Pedro — 
 good-night to you, and a thousand thanks," and the soldier 
 walked away. 
 
 " We have made one friend, at all events," said Krantz, 
 ,* and we have gained information of no Httle importance." 
 
 "Most important," replied Philip. "Amine then has 
 sailed for Goa with Father Mathias ! I feel that she is safe, 
 and in good hands. He is an excellent man, that Father 
 Mathias — my mind is much relieved." 
 
 " Yes ; but recollect you are in the power of your 
 enemy. We must leave this place as quick as we can — 
 to-morrow we must sign the paper. It is of little con- 
 sequence, as we shall probably be at Goa before it arrives v 
 and even if we are not, the news of your death would not 
 occasion Amine to marry this little withered piece of 
 mortality." 
 
 "That I feel assured of; but it may cause her great 
 suffering." 
 
 " Not worse than her present suspense, believe me^ 
 
The Phantom Ship 311 
 
 Philip J but it is useless canvassing the past — it must 
 be done. I shall sign as Cornelius Richter, our third 
 mate ; you, as Jacob Vantreat — recollect that." 
 
 " Agreed," replied Philip, who then turned away, as if 
 willing to be left to his own thoughts. Krantz perceived 
 it, and laid down under the embrasure, and was soon fast 
 asleep. 
 
 Chapter XXXII 
 
 Tired out with the fatigue of the day before, Philip had 
 laid himself down by Krantz and fallen asleep ; early the 
 next morning he was awakened by the sound of the Com- 
 mandant's voice, and his long sword rattling as usual upon 
 the pavement. He rose, and found the little man rating 
 the soldiers — threatening some with the dungeon, others 
 with extra duty. Krantz was also on his feet before the 
 Commandant had finished his morning's lecture. At last, 
 perceiving them, in a stern voice he ordered them to follow 
 him into his apartment. They did so, and the Commandant 
 throwing himself upon his sofa, inquired whether they 
 were ready to sign the required paper, or go back to 
 the dungeon. — Krantz replied that they had been calculating 
 chances, and that they were in consequence so perfectly 
 convinced of the death of the captain, that they were 
 willing to sign any paper to that effect ; at which reply, 
 the Commandant immediately became very gracious, and 
 having called for materials, he wrote out the document, 
 which was duly subscribed to by Krantz and Philip. As 
 soon as they had signed it, and he had it in his possession, 
 the little man was so pleased, that he requested them to 
 partake of his breakfast. 
 
 During the repast, he promised that they should leave 
 the island by the first opportunity. Although Philip was 
 taciturn, yet as Krantz made himself very agreeable, the 
 Commandant invited them to dinner. Krantz, as they 
 became more familiar, informed him that they had each a 
 
312 The Phantom Ship 
 
 few pieces of gold, and wished to be allowed a room 
 where they could keep their table. Whether it was the 
 want of society or the desire of obtaining the gold, 
 probably both, the Commandant offered that they should 
 join his table and pay their proportion of the expenses ; 
 a proposal which was gladly acceded to. The terms were 
 arranged, and Krantz insisted upon putting down the first 
 week's payment in advance. From that moment the Com- 
 mandant was the best of friends with them, and did nothing 
 but caress them whom he had so politely shoved into a 
 dungeon below water. It was on the evening of the third 
 day, as they were smoking their Manilla cheroots, that 
 Krantz, perceiving the Commandant in a peculiarly good 
 humour, ventured to ask him why he was so anxious for 
 a certificate of the captain's death ; and in reply was 
 informed, much to the astonishment of Philip, that Amine 
 had agreed to marry him upon his producing such a 
 document. 
 
 ** Impossible," cried Philip, starting from his seat. 
 
 " Impossible, signor, and why impossible ? " replied the 
 Commandant curling his mustachios with his fingers, with 
 a surprised and angry air. 
 
 ** I should have said impossible too," interrupted Krantz, 
 who perceived the consequences of Philip's indiscretion, 
 ** for had you seen, Commandant, how that woman doted 
 upon her husband, how she fondled him, you would with 
 us have said, it was impossible that she could have trans- 
 ferred her affections so soon; but women are women, 
 and soldiers have a great advantage over other people ; 
 perhaps she has some excuse. Commandant. — Here's 
 your health, and success to you." 
 
 "It is exactly what I would have said," added Philip, 
 acting upon Krantz's plan : ** but she has a great excuse. 
 Commandant, when I recollect her husband, and have 
 you in my presence." 
 
 Soothed with the flattery, the Commandant replied, 
 ** Why, yes, they say military men are very successful 
 with the fair sex. — I presume it is because they look up 
 
The Phantom Ship 313 
 
 to us for protection, and where can they be better 
 assured of it, than with a man who wears a sword at 
 his thigh. — Come, signors, we will drink her health. 
 Here's to the beautiful Amine Vanderdecken." 
 
 **To the beautiful Amine Vanderdecken," cried Krantz, 
 tossing off his wine. 
 
 "To the beautiful Amine Vanderdecken," followed 
 Philip. " But, Commandant, are you not afraid to trust 
 her at Goa, where there are so many enticements for 
 a woman, so many allurements held out for her sex ? " 
 
 " No, not in the least — I am convinced that she 
 loves me — nay, between ourselves, that she doats upon 
 me." 
 
 ** Liar ! " exclaimed Philip. 
 
 " How, signor ! is that addressed to me ? " cried the 
 Commandant, seizing his sword which lay on the table. 
 
 "No, no," replied Philip, recovering himself; "it was 
 addressed to her ; I have heard her swear to her husband, 
 that she would exist for no other but him." 
 
 "Ha! ha! Is that all?" replied the Commandant, 
 " my friend, you do not know women." 
 
 " No, nor is he very partial to them either," replied 
 Krantz, who then leant over to the Commandant and 
 whispered, "He is always so when you talk of women. 
 He was cruelly jilted once, and hates the whole sex." 
 
 " Then we must be merciful to him," replied the little 
 officer : " suppose we change the subject." 
 
 When they repaired to their own room, Krantz pointed 
 out to Philip the necessity for his commanding his feel- 
 ings, as otherwise they would agaiil be immured in the 
 dungeon. Philip acknowledged his rashness, but pointed 
 out to Krantz, that the circumstance of Amine having 
 promised to marry the Commandant, if he procured certain 
 intelligence of his death, was the cause of his irritation. 
 " Can it be so ? Is it possible that she can have been 
 so false," exclaimed Philip ; " yet his anxiety to procure 
 that document seems to warrant the truth of his assertion." 
 
 " I think, Philip, that in all probability it is true," 
 
314 The Phantom Ship 
 
 replied Krantz, carelessly •, ** but of this you may be 
 assured that she has been placed in a situation of great 
 peril, and has only done so to save herself for your 
 sake. When you meet, depend upon it she will fully 
 prove to you that necessity had compelled her to deceive 
 him in that way, and that if she had not done so, she 
 would, by this time, have fallen a prey to his violence." 
 
 " It may be so," replied Philip, gravely. 
 
 "It is so, Philip, my life upon it. Do not for a moment 
 harbour a thought so injurious to one who lives but in 
 your love. Suspect that fond and devoted creature ! I 
 blush for you, Philip Vanderdecken." 
 
 ** You are right, and I beg her pardon for allowing 
 such feelings or thoughts to have for one moment over- 
 powered me," responded Philip ; ** but it is a hard case 
 for a husband, who loves as I do, to hear his wife's 
 name bandied about, and her character assailed by a con« 
 temptible wretch like this Commandant." 
 
 "It is, I grant ; but still I prefer even that to a 
 dungeon," replied Krantz, " and so, good-night." 
 
 For three weeks they remained in the fort, every day 
 becoming more intimate with the Commandant, who often 
 communicated with Krantz, when Philip was not present, 
 turning the conversation upon his love for Amine, and 
 entering into a minute detail of all that had passed. 
 Krantz perceived that he was right in his opinion, and 
 that Amine had only been cajoling the Commandant, that 
 she might escape. But the time passed heavily away 
 with Philip and Krantz, for no vessel made its appearance. 
 
 " When shall I see her again ? " soliloquised Philip one 
 morning as he lolled over the parapet, in company with 
 Krantz. 
 
 " See ! who ? " said the Commandant, who happened to 
 be at his elbow. 
 
 Philip turned round, and stammered something un- 
 intelligible. 
 
 "We were talking of his sister, Commandant," said 
 Krantz, taking his arm, and leading him away. — " Do not 
 
The Phantom Ship 315 
 
 mention the subject to my friend, for it is a very painful 
 one, and forms one reason why he is so inimical to the sex. 
 She was married to his intimate friend, and ran away from 
 her husband : it was his only sister ; and the disgrace broke 
 his mother's heart, and has made him miserable. Take no 
 notice of it, I beg." 
 
 ** No, no, certainly not ; I don't wonder at it : the honour 
 of one's family is a serious affair," replied the Commandant. 
 — ** Poor young man, what with his sister's conduct, and 
 the falsehood of his own intended, I don't wonder at 
 his being so grave and silent. Is he of good family, 
 signor ? " 
 
 " One of the noblest in all Holland," replied Krantz ; 
 — " he is heir to a large property, and independent by the 
 fortune of his mother ; but these two unfortunate events 
 induced him to quit the States secretly, and he embarked 
 for these countries that he might forget his grief." 
 
 " One of the noblest families ? " replied the Commandant ; 
 — ** then he is under an assumed name — Jacob Vantreat is 
 not his true name, of course." 
 
 " Oh no," repied Krantz ; — " that it is not, I assure you ; 
 but my lips are sealed on that point." 
 
 ** Of course, except to a friend, who can keep a secret. 
 I will not ask it now. So he is really noble ? " 
 
 " One of the highest families in the country, possessing 
 great wealth and influence — allied to the Spanish nobility 
 by marriage." 
 
 " Indeed ! " rejoined the Commandant, musing — "I dare 
 say he knows many of the Portuguese as well." 
 
 " No doubt of it, they are all more or less connected." 
 
 ** He must prove to you a most valuable friend, Signor 
 Richter." 
 
 ** I consider myself provided for for life as soon as we 
 return home. He is of a very grateful, generous dis- 
 position, as he would prove to you, should you ever fall 
 in with him again." 
 
 " I have no doubt of it ; and I can assure you that I 
 am heartily tired of staying in this country. Here I shall 
 
3i6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 remain probably for two years more before I am relieved, 
 and then shall have to join my regiment at Goa, and not 
 be able to obtain leave to return home without resigning 
 my commission. But he is coming this way." 
 
 After this conversation with Krantz, the alteration in the 
 manner of the Portuguese Commandant, who had the 
 highest respect for nobility, was most marked. He treated 
 Philip with a respect, which was observable to all in the 
 fort ; and which was, until Krantz had explained the 
 cause, a source of astonishment to Philip himself. The 
 Commandant often introduced the subject to Krantz, and 
 sounded him as to whether his conduct towards Philip had 
 been such, as to have made a favourable impression ; for the 
 little man now hoped, that, through such an influential 
 channel, he might reap some benefit. 
 
 Some days after this conversation, as they were all 
 three seated at table, a corporal entered, and saluting the 
 Commandant, informed him that a Dutch sailor had 
 arrived at the fort, and wished to know whether he should 
 be admitted. Both Philip and Krantz turned pale at this 
 communication — they had a presentiment of evil, but they 
 said nothing. The sailor was ordered in, and in a few 
 minutes, who should make his appearance but their 
 tormentor, the one-eyed Schriften. On perceiving Philip 
 and Krantz seated at the table he immediately exclaimed, 
 " Oh ! Captain Philip Vanderdecken, and my good friend 
 Mynheer Krantz, first mate of the good ship Utrechty I am 
 glad to meet you again." 
 
 " Captain Philip Vanderdecken ! " roared the Com- 
 mandant, as he sprung from his chair. 
 
 " Yes, that is my Captain, Mynheer Philip Vander- 
 decken J and that is my first mate. Mynheer Krantz ; both 
 of the good ship Utrecht : we were wrecked together, were 
 we not. Mynheer ? He ! he ! " 
 
 ** Sangue de — Vanderdecken ! the husband ? Corpo del 
 Diavolo — is it possible ? " cried the Commandant, panting 
 for breath, as he seized his long sword with both hands, 
 and clenched it with fury — ** What then, I have been 
 
The Phantom Ship 317 
 
 deceived, cajoled, laughed at ! " Then, after a pause — the 
 veins of his forehead distending so as almost to burst- — he 
 continued, with a suppressed voice, " Most noble sir, I 
 thank you ; but now it is my turn. — What, ho ! there ! 
 Corporal — men, here instantly— quick ! " 
 
 Philip and Krantz felt convinced that all denial was 
 useless. Philip folded his arms and made no reply. 
 Krantz merely observed, " A little reflection will prove to 
 you, sir, that this indignation is not warranted." 
 
 ** Not warranted ! " rejoined the Commandant with a 
 sneer 5 " you have deceived me ; but you are caught in 
 your own trap. I have the paper signed, which I shall 
 not fail to make use of. Tou are dead, you know, 
 captain ; I have your own hand to it, and your wife will 
 be glad to believe it." 
 
 " She has deceived you. Commandant, to get out of 
 your power, nothing more," said Vanderdecken. "She 
 would spurn a contemptible withered wretch like yourself, 
 were she as free as the wind." 
 
 ** Go on, go on ; it will be my turn soon. Corporal, 
 throw these two men into the dungeon : a sentry at the 
 door till further orders. Away with them. Most noble 
 sir, perhaps your influential friends in Holland and Spain 
 will enable you to get out again." 
 
 Philip and Krantz were led away by the soldiers, who 
 were very much surprised at this change of treatment. 
 Schriften followed them ; and as they walked across the 
 rampart to the stairs which led to their prison, Krantz, 
 in his fury, burst from the soldiers, and bestowed a kick 
 upon Schriften which sent him several feet forward on 
 his face. 
 
 "That was a good one — he! he!" cried Schriften, 
 smiling and looking at Krantz as he regained his legs. 
 
 There was an eye, however, which met theirs with an 
 intelligent glance, as they descended the stairs to the 
 dungeon. It was that of the soldier Pedro. It told them 
 that there was one friend upon whom they could rely, 
 and who would spare no endeavour to assist them in their 
 
31 8 The Phantom Ship 
 
 new difficulty. It was a consolation to them both ; a ray 
 of hope which cheered them as they once more descended 
 the narrow steps, and heard the heavy key turned which 
 again secured them in their dungeon. 
 
 Chapter XXXIII 
 
 " Thus are all our hopes wrecked," said Philip, mourn- 
 fully ; " what chance have we now of escaping from this 
 little tyrant ? " 
 
 " Chances turn up," replied Krantz ; ** at present, the 
 prospect is not very cheering. Let us hope for the best. 
 
 **I have an idea in my head which may probably be 
 turned to some account," added Krantz 5 " as soon as the 
 little man s fury is over." 
 
 " Which is " 
 
 " That, much as he likes your wife, there is something 
 which he likes quite as well — money. Now, as we 
 know where all the treasure is concealed, I think he may 
 be tempted to offer us our liberty, if we were to promise 
 to put it into his possession." 
 
 ** That is not impossible. Confound that little malignant 
 wretch Schriften ; he certainly is not, as you say, of this 
 world. He has been my persecutor through life, and 
 appears to act from an impulse not his own." 
 
 ** Then must he be part and portion of your destiny. 
 I'm thinking whether our noble Commandant intends to 
 leave us without anything to eat or drink." 
 
 " I should not be surprised : that he will attempt my 
 life I am convinced of, but not that he can take it; he 
 may, however, add to its sufferings." 
 
 As soon as the Commandant had recovered from his 
 fury, he ordered Schriften in, to be examined more 
 particularly ; but after every search made for him, 
 Schriften was no where to be found. The sentry at 
 the gate declared that he had not passed j and a new 
 
The Phantom Ship 319 
 
 search was ordered, but in vain. Even the dungeons 
 and galleries below were examined, but without success. 
 
 " Can he be locked up with the other prisoners ? " 
 thought the Commandant : " impossible — but I will go 
 and see." 
 
 He descended and opened the door of the dungeon, 
 looked in, and was about to return without speaking, 
 when Krantz said, " Well, signor, this is kind treatment, 
 after having lived so long and so amicably together ; to 
 throw us into prison merely because a fellow declares 
 that we are not what we represented ourselves to be j 
 perhaps you will allow us a little water to drink ? " 
 
 The Commandant, confused by the extraordinary dis- 
 appearance of Schriften, hardly knew how to reply. He 
 at last said in a milder tone than was to be anticipated, 
 ** I will order them to bring some, signor." 
 
 He then closed the door of the dungeon and disappeared. 
 
 ** Strange," observed Philip, " he appears more pacified 
 already." 
 
 In a few minutes the door was again opened, and Pedro 
 came in with a chatty of water. 
 
 " He has disappeared like magic, signors, and is no 
 where to be found. We have searched everywhere, but 
 in vain." 
 
 " Who ? — the little old seaman ? " 
 
 " Yes, he whom you kicked as you were led to prison. 
 The people all say, that it must have been a ghost. The 
 sentry declares that he never left the fort, nor came near 
 him ; so, how he has got away is a riddle, which I per- 
 ceive, has frightened our Commandant not a little." 
 
 Krantz gave a long whistle as he looked at Philip. 
 
 ** Are you to have charge of us, Pedro ? " 
 
 " I hope so." 
 
 " Well, tell the Commandant that when he is ready to 
 listen to me, I have something of importance to com- 
 municate." 
 
 Pedro went out. 
 
 "Now, Philip, I can frighten this little man into allow- 
 
320 The Phantom Ship 
 
 ing us to go free, if you will consent to say that you are 
 not the husband of Amine." 
 
 ** That I cannot do, Krantz. I will not utter such a 
 falsehood." 
 
 ** I was afraid so, and yet it appears to me that we may 
 avail ourselves of duplicity to meet cruelty and injustice. 
 Unless you do as I propose, I hardly know how I can 
 manage it •, however, I will try what I can do." 
 
 " I will assist you in every way, except disclaiming my 
 wife : that I never will do." 
 
 "Well then, I will see if I can make up a story that 
 will suit all parties : let me think." 
 
 Krantz continued musing as he walked up and down, 
 and was still occupied with his own thoughts when the 
 door opened, and the Commandant made his appearance. 
 
 " You have something to impart to me, I understand — 
 what is it ? " 
 
 " First, sir, bring that little wretch down here and 
 confront him with us." 
 
 " I see no occasion for that," replied the Commandant j 
 ** what, sir, may you have to say ? " 
 
 ** Do you know who you have in your company when 
 you speak to that one-eyed deformity ? " 
 
 ** A Dutch sailor, I presume." 
 
 **No — a spirit — a demon — who occasioned the loss of 
 the vessel ; and who brings misfortune wherever he 
 appears." 
 
 " Holy Virgin ! What do you tell me, signor ? " 
 
 "The fact, signor Commandant. We are obliged to 
 you for confining us here, while he is in the fort ; but 
 beware for yourself." 
 
 " You are laughing at me." 
 
 " I am not ; bring him down here. This noble gentle- 
 man has power over him. I wonder, indeed, at his daring 
 to stay while he is so near •, he has on his heart that which 
 will send him trembling away. — Bring him down here, and 
 you shall at once see him vanish with curses and screams." 
 
 " Heaven defend us ! " cried the Commandant, terrified. 
 
The Phantom Ship 321 
 
 ** Send for him now, signer ? " 
 
 " He is gone — vanished — not to be found ! " 
 
 "I thought as much," replied Philip, significantly. 
 
 ** He is gone — vanished — you say. Then, Commandant, 
 you will probably apologise to this noble gentleman for 
 your treatment of him, and permit us to return to out 
 former apartments. I will there explain to you this most 
 strange and interesting history." 
 
 The Commandant, more confused than ever, hardly 
 knew how to act. At last he bowed to Philip, and begged 
 that he would consider himself at liberty ; and, continued 
 he to Krantz, **I shall be most happy at an immediate 
 explanation of this affair, for everything appears so con- 
 tradictory." 
 
 " And must, until it is explained. I will follow you 
 into your own room ; a courtesy you must not expect 
 from my noble friend, who is not a little indignant at your 
 treatment of him." 
 
 The Commandant went out, leaving the door open. 
 Philip and Krantz followed : the former retiring to his 
 own apartment 5 the latter, bending his steps after the 
 Commandant to his sitting-room. The confusioi which 
 whirled in the brain of the Commandant, made him appear 
 most ridiculous. He hardly knew whether to be im- 
 perative or civil; whether he was really speaking to the 
 first mate of the vessel, or to another party; or whether 
 he had insulted a noble, or been cajoled hy a captain of a 
 vessel: he threw himself down on his sofa, and Krantz, 
 taking his seat in a chair, stated as follows : 
 
 ** You have been partly deceived and partly not. Com- 
 mandant. When we first came here, not knowing what 
 treatment we might receive, we concealed our ran k ; after- 
 wards I made known to you the rank of my friend on shore; 
 but did not think it worth while to say anything about his 
 situation on board of the vessel. The fact is, as you may 
 well suppose of a person of his dignity, he was o wner of the 
 fine ship which was lost through the intervention of that one- 
 eyed wretch ; but of that by-and-bye. Now for the story, 
 p.s. X 
 
322 The Phantom Ship 
 
 About ten years ago there was a great miser in Amsterdam ; 
 he lived in the most miserable way that a man could live 
 in ; wore nothing but rags ; and having been formerly a 
 seaman, his attire was generally of the description common 
 to his class. He had one son, to whom he denied the neces- 
 saries of life, and whom he treated most cruelly. After vain 
 attempts to possess a portion of his father's wealth, the 
 devil instigated the son to murder the old man, who was 
 one day found dead in his bed ; but as there were no marks 
 of violence which could be sworn to, although suspicion 
 fell upon the son, the affair was hushed up, and the young 
 man took possession of his father's wealth. It was fully 
 expected that there would now be rioting and squandering 
 on the part of the heir, as is usually the case ; but, on the 
 contrary, he never spent anything, but appeared to be as 
 poor — even poorer — than he ever was. Instead of being 
 gay and merry, he was, in appearance, the most miserable, 
 downcast person in the world ; and he wandered about, 
 seeking a crust of bread wherever he could find it. Some 
 said that he had been inoculated by his father, and was as 
 great a miser as his father had been ; others shook their 
 heads, and said that all was not right. At last, after pining 
 away for six or seven years, the young man died at an early 
 age, without confession or absolution; in fact, he was 
 found dead in his bed. Beside the bed there was a paper, 
 addressed to the authorities, in which he acknowledged 
 that he had murdered his father for the sake of his wealth ; 
 and that when he went to take some of it for his expenses 
 on the day afterwards, he found his father's spirit sitting 
 on the bags of money, and menacing him with instant 
 death, if he touched one piece. He returned again and 
 again, and found his father a sentinel as before. At last, 
 he gave up attempting to obtain it ; his crime made him 
 miserable, and he continued in possession, without daring 
 to expend one sixpence of all the money. He requested 
 that, as his end was approaching, the money should be 
 given to the church of his patron saint, wherever that 
 church might be found j if there was not one, then that a 
 
The Phantom Ship 323 
 
 church might be built and endowed. Upon investigation, 
 it appeared that there was no such church in either Holland 
 or the Low Countries (for you know that there are not 
 many Catholics there); and they applied to the Catholic 
 countries, Lisbon and Spain, but there again they were at 
 fault ', and it was discovered, that the only church dedicated 
 to that saint was one which had been erected by a Portu- 
 guese nobleman in the city of Goa, in the East Indies. 
 The Catholic bishop determined that the money should be 
 sent to Goa; and, in consequence, it was embarked on 
 board of my patron's vessel, to be delivered up to the first 
 Portuguese authorities he might fall in with. 
 
 " Well, signor, the money, for better security, was put 
 down into the captain's cabin, which, of course, was 
 occupied by my noble friend, and when he went to bed the 
 first night he was surprised to perceive a little one eyed 
 old man sitting on the boxes." 
 
 " Merciful Saviour ! " exclaimed the Commandant, 
 " what, the very same little man who appeared here this 
 day?" 
 
 " The very same," replied Krantz. 
 
 The Commandant crossed himself, and Krantz pro- 
 ceeded : — " My noble patron was, as you may imagine, 
 rather alarmed ; but he is very courageous in disposition, 
 and he inquired of the old man who he was, and how he 
 had come on board ? 
 
 " * I came on board with my own money,' replied the 
 spectre. * It is all my own, and I shall keep it. The 
 church shall never have one stiva of it if I can help it.' 
 
 "Whereupon, my patron pulled out a famous relic, 
 which he wears on his bosom, and held it towards him ; at 
 which the old man howled and screamed, and then most 
 unwillingly disappeared. For two more nights the spectre 
 was obstinate, but at the sight of the relic, he invariably 
 went off howling, as if in great pain ; every time that he 
 went away, invariably crying out * Lost — lost ! ' and during 
 the remainder of the voyage he did not trouble us any 
 more. 
 
324 The Phantom Ship 
 
 /*We thought, when our patron told us this, that he 
 referred to the money being lost to him, but it appears he 
 referred to the ship ; indeed it was very inconsiderate to 
 have taken the wealth of a parricide on board 5 we could 
 not expect any good fortune with such a freight, and so it 
 proved. When the ship was lost, our patron was very 
 anxious to save the money; it was put on the raft, and 
 when we landed, it was taken on shore and buried, that it 
 might be restored and given to the church to which it had 
 been bequeathed ; but the men who buried it are all dead, 
 and there is no one but my friend here, the patron, who 
 knows the spot. — I forgot to say, that as soon as the money 
 was landed on the island and buried, the spectre appeared 
 as before, and seated himself over the spot where the money 
 was interred. I think, if this had not been the case, the 
 seamen would have taken possession of it. But, by his 
 appearance here this day, I presume he is tired, and has 
 deserted his charge, or else has come here that the money 
 might be sent for, though I cannot understand why." 
 
 ** Strange — very strange ! — so there is a large treasure 
 buried in the sand ? " 
 
 " There is." 
 
 " I should think, by the spectre's coming here, that it 
 has abandoned it." 
 
 " Of course it has, or it would not be here." 
 
 ** What can you imagine to have been the cause of its 
 coming ? " 
 
 ** Probably to announce its intention, and request my 
 friend to have the treasure sent for ; but you know he was 
 interrupted." 
 
 " Very true 5 but he called your friend Vanderdecken." 
 
 " It was the name which he took on board of the ship." 
 
 " And it was the name of the lady." 
 
 " Very true ; he fell in with her at the Cape of Good 
 Hope and brought her away with him." 
 
 " Then she is his wife ? " 
 
 " I must not answer that question. It is qiilte sufficient 
 that he treats her as his wife." 
 
The Phantom Ship 325 
 
 " Ah ! indeed. But about this treasure. You say 
 that no one knows where it is buried, but the patron 
 as you call him ? " 
 
 " No one." 
 
 " Will you express my regret at what has passed, and 
 tell him I will have the pleasure of seeing him to-morrow." 
 
 " Certainly, signor," replied Krantz, rising from his 
 chair; and wishing the Commandant a good evening as 
 he retired. 
 
 "I was after one thing and have found another. A 
 spectre that must have been; but he must be a bold 
 spectre that can frighten me from doubloons — besides, 
 I can call in the priests. Now, let me see ; if I let this 
 man go on condition that he reveals the site of the treasure 
 to the authorities, that is to me, why then I need not lose 
 the fair young woman. If I forward this paper to her, 
 why then I gain her — but I must first get rid of him. 
 Of the two, I prefer — yes ! — the gold ! But I cannot 
 obtain both. At all events, let me obtain the money 
 first : I want it more than the church does : but, if I do 
 get the money, these two men can expose me. I must 
 get rid of them ; silence them for ever — and then perhaps 
 I may obtain the fair Amine also. Yes, their death will 
 be necessary to secure either — that is, after I have the 
 first in my possession. — Let me think." 
 
 For some minutes the Commandant walked up and 
 down the room, reflecting upon the best method of 
 proceeding. " He says it was a spectre, and he has 
 told a plausible story," thought he ; " but I don't know — 
 I have my doubts — they may be tricking me. Well, be 
 it so : if the money is there, I will have it ; and if not, 
 I will have my revenge. Yes ! I have it : not only must 
 they be removed, but by degrees all the others too who 
 assist in bringing the treasure away; — then — but — who's 
 there, Pedro ? " 
 
 " Yes, signor." 
 
 ** How long have you been here ? " 
 
 "But as you spoke, signor: I thought I heard you call." 
 
326 The Phantom Ship 
 
 '* You may go — I want nothing." 
 
 Pedro departed ; but he had been some time in the 
 room, and had overheard the whole of the Commandant's 
 soliloquy. 
 
 Chapter XXXIV 
 
 It was a bright morning when the Portuguese vessel on 
 which Amine was on board entered into the bay and 
 roadstead of Goa. Goa was then at its zenith — a proud, 
 luxurious, superb, wealthy city, the capital of the East, 
 a City of Palaces, whose Viceroy reigned supreme. As 
 they approached the river the two mouths of which form 
 the island upon which Goa is built, the passengers were 
 all on deck ; and the Portuguese captain, who had often 
 been there, pointed out to Amine the most remarkable 
 buildings. When they had passed the forts they entered 
 the river, the whole line of whose banks were covered 
 with the country seats of the nobility and hidalgos — 
 splendid buildings embosomed in groves of orange trees, 
 whose perfume scented the air. 
 
 " There, signora, is the country palace of the Viceroy, "^ 
 said the captain, pointing to a building which covered 
 nearly three acres of ground. 
 
 The ship sailed on until they arrived nearly abreast of 
 the town, when Amine's eyes were directed to the lofty 
 spires of the churches and other public edifices — for Amine 
 had seen but little of cities during her life, as may be 
 perceived when her history is recollected. 
 
 " That is the Jesuits' church, with their establishment," 
 said the captain, pointing to a magnificent pile. " In the 
 church, now opening upon us, lay the canonised bones of 
 the celebrated Saint Francisco, who sacrificed his life in 
 his zeal for the propagation of the gospel in these 
 countries." 
 
 "I have heard of him from Father Mathias," replied 
 Amine ; " but what building is that ? " 
 
The Phantom Ship 327 
 
 " The Augustine convent ; and the other, to the right, 
 is the Dominican." 
 
 " Splendid, indeed ! " observed Amine. 
 
 ** The building you see now, on the water-side, is the 
 Viceroy's palace ; that to the right, again, is the convent 
 of the bare-footed Carmelites : yon lofty spire is the 
 cathedral of St Catherine, and that beautiful and light 
 piece of architecture is the church of our Lady of Pity. 
 You observe there a building, with a dome, rising behind 
 the Viceroy's palace ? " 
 
 " I do," replied Amine. 
 
 " That is the Holy Inquisition." 
 
 Although Amine had heard Philip speak of the inquisi- 
 tion, she knew little about its properties; but a sudden 
 tremor passed through her frame as the name was 
 mentioned, which she could not herself account for. 
 
 "Now we open upon the Viceroy's palace, and you 
 perceive what a beautiful building it is," continued the 
 captain ; " that large pile a little above it is the Custom- 
 house, abreast of which we shall come to an anchor. I 
 must leave you now, signora." 
 
 A few minutes afterwards the ship anchored opposite 
 the Custom-house. The captain and passengers went on 
 shore, with the exception of Amine, who remained in the 
 vessel, while Father Mathias went in search of an eligible 
 place of abode. 
 
 The next morning the priest returned on board the ship, 
 with the intelligence that he had obtained a reception for 
 Amine in the Ursuline convent, the abbess of which 
 establishment he was acquainted with ; and, before Amine 
 went on shore, he cautioned her that the lady-abbess was 
 a strict woman, and would be pleased if she conformed, as 
 much as possible, to the rules of the convent; that this 
 convent only received young persons of the highest and 
 most wealthy families, and he trusted that she would be 
 happy there. He also promised to call upon her, and talk 
 upon those subjects so dear to his heart, and so necessary 
 to her salvation. The earnestness and kindness with 
 
328 The Phantom Ship 
 
 which the old man spoke melted Amine to tears, and the 
 holy father quitted her side to go down and collect her 
 baggage, with a warmth of feeling towards her which he 
 had seldom felt before, and with greater hopes than ever 
 that his endeavours to convert her would not ultimately be 
 thrown away. 
 
 " He is a good man," thought Amine, as she descended 
 — and Amine was right. Father Mathias was a good man, 
 but, like all men, he was not perfect. A zealot in the 
 cause of his religion, he would have cheerfully sacrificed 
 his life as a martyr, but if opposed or thwarted in his 
 views, he could then be cruel and unjust. 
 
 Father Mathias had many reasons for placing Amine in 
 the Ursuline convent. He felt bound to oiFer her that 
 protection which he had so long received under her roof; 
 he wished her to be under the surveillance of the abbess, 
 for he could not help imagining, although he had no proof, 
 that she was still essaying or practising forbidden arts. 
 He did not state this to the abbess, as he felt it would be 
 unjust to raise suspicions; but he represented Amine as 
 one who would do honour to their faith, to which she was 
 not yet quite converted. The very idea of effecting a 
 conversion is to the tenants of a convent an object of 
 surpassing interest, and the abbess was much better pleased 
 to receive one who required her councils and persuasions, 
 than a really pious Christian who would give her no 
 trouble. Amine went on shore with Father Mathias ; she 
 refused the palanquin which had been prepared for her, 
 and walked up to the convent. They landed between 
 the Custom-house and the Viceroy's palace, passed through 
 to the large square behind it, and then went up the Strada 
 Diretta, or Straight Street, which led up to the Church of 
 Pity, near to which the convent is situated. This street is 
 the finest on Goa, and is called Strada Diretta, from the 
 singular fact that almost all the streets in Goa are quad- 
 rants or segments of circles. Amine was astonished : the 
 houses were of stone, lofty and massive; at each story 
 was thrown out a balcony of marble, elaborately carved ; 
 
The Phantom Ship 329 
 
 and over each door were the arms of the nobility, or 
 hidalgos, to whom the houses belonged. The square 
 behind the palace, and the wide streets, were filled with 
 living beings ; elephants with gorgeous trappings ; led or 
 mounted horses in superb housings ; palanquins, carried 
 by natives in splendid liveries ; running footmen ; syces ; 
 every variety of nation, from the proud Portuguese to the 
 half-covered native ; Mussulmans, Arabs, Hindoos, Ar- 
 menians ; officers and soldiers in their uniforms, all crowded 
 and thronged together : all was bustle and motion. Such 
 was the wealth, the splendour, and luxury of the proud 
 city of Goa — the Empress of the East at the time we are 
 now describing. 
 
 In half an hour they forced their way through the 
 crowd, and arrived at the convent, where Amine was well 
 received by the abbess ; and after a few minutes' conversa- 
 tion, Father Mathias took his leave : upon which the abbess 
 immediately set about her task of conversion. The first 
 thing she did was to order some dried sweetmeats — not a bad 
 beginning, as they were palatable ; but as she happened to 
 be very ignorant, and unaccustomed to theological dis- 
 putes, her subsequent arguments did not go down as well 
 as the fruit. After a rambling discourse of about an hour, 
 the old lady felt tired, and felt as if she had done wonders. 
 Amine was then introduced to the nuns, most of whom 
 were young and all of good family. Her dormitory was 
 shown to her, and expressing a wish to be alone, she was 
 followed into her chamber by only sixteen of them, which 
 was about as many as the chamber could well hold. 
 
 We must pass over the two months during which Amine 
 remained in the convent. Father Mathias had taken every 
 step to ascertain if her husband had been saved upon any 
 of the islands which were under the Portuguese dominions, 
 but could gain no information. Amine was soon weary of 
 the convent ; she was persecuted by the harangues of the 
 old abbess, but more disgusted at the conduct and conver- 
 sation of the nuns. They all had secrets to confide to her 
 — secrets which had been confided to the whole convent 
 
330 The Phantom Ship 
 
 before : such secrets, such stories, so different from 
 Amine's chaste ideas, such impurity of thought that Amine 
 was disgusted at them. But how could it be otherwise ; 
 the poor creatures had been taken from the world in the 
 full bloom of youth under a ripening sun, and had been 
 immured in this unnatural manner to gratify the avarice 
 and pride of their families. Its inmates being wholly 
 composed of the best families, the rules of this convent 
 were not so strict as others ; licenses were given — greater 
 licenses were taken — and Amine, to her surprise, found that 
 in this society, devoted to Heaven, there were exhibited 
 more of the bad passions of human nature than she had 
 before met with. Constantly watched, never allowed a 
 moment to herself, her existence became unbearable : and 
 after three months she requested Father Mathias would 
 find her some other place of refuge -, telling him frankly 
 that her residence in that place was not very likely to assist 
 her conversion to the tenets of his faith. Father Mathias 
 fully comprehended her, but replied, " I have no 
 means." 
 
 " Here are means," replied Amine, taking the diamond 
 ring from her finger : " this is worth eight hundred 
 ducats in our country •, here I know not how much." 
 
 Father Mathias took the ring. " I will call upon 
 you to-morrow morning, and let you know what I have 
 done. I shall acquaint the lady abbess that you are 
 going to your husband, for it would not be safe to let 
 her suppose that you have reasons for quitting the con- 
 vent. I have heard what you state mentioned before, 
 but have treated it as scandal; but you, I know, are 
 incapable of falsehood." 
 
 The next day Father Mathias returned, and had an 
 interview with the abbess, who after a time sent for 
 Amine, and told her that it was necessary that she 
 should leave the convent. She consoled her as well as 
 she could at leaving such a happy place, sent for some 
 sweetmeats to make the parting less trying, gave her her 
 blessing, and made her over to Father Mathias ; who, 
 
The Phantom Ship 331 
 
 when they were alone, informed Amine that he had 
 disposed of the ring for eighteen hundred dollars, and 
 had procured apartments for her in the house of a widow 
 lady, with whom she was to board. 
 
 Taking leave of the nuns, Amine quitted the convent 
 with Father Mathias, and was soon installed in her new 
 apartments, in a house which formed part of a spacious 
 square called the Terra di Sabaio. After the introduction 
 to her hostess. Father Mathias left her. Amine found 
 her apartments fronting the square, airy and commodious. 
 The landlady, who had escorted her to view them, not 
 having left her, she inquired "what large church that 
 was on the other side of the square ? " 
 
 " It is the Ascension," replied the lady ; " the music is 
 very fine there ; we will go and hear it to-morrow, if 
 you please." 
 
 ** And that massive building in face of us ? " 
 
 " That is the Holy Inquisition," said the widow, cross- 
 ing herself. 
 
 Amine again started, she knew not why. " Is that 
 your child ? " said Amine, as a boy of about twelve 
 years old entered the room. 
 
 " Yes," replied the widow, " the only one that is left 
 me. May God preserve him." The boy was handsome 
 and intelligent, and Amine, for her own reasons, did 
 everything she could to make friends with him, and was 
 successful. 
 
 Chapter XXXV 
 
 Amine had just returned from an afternoon's walk through 
 the streets of Goa : she had made some purchases at 
 different shops in the bazaar, and had brought them home 
 under her mantilla. " Here, at last, thank Heaven, I am 
 alone and not watched," thought Amine, as she threw 
 herself on the couch. "Philip, Philip, where are you ?" 
 
332 The Phantom Ship 
 
 exclaimed she ; ** I have now the means, and I soon will 
 know." Little Pedro, the son of the widow, entered the 
 room, ran up to Amine, and kissed her. " Tell me, 
 Pedro, where is your mother ? " 
 
 ** She has gone out to see her friends this evening, and 
 we are alone. I will stay with you." 
 
 " Do so, dearest. Tell me, Pedro, can you keep a 
 secret ? " 
 
 " Yes, I will— tell it me." 
 
 *« Nay, I have nothing to tell, but I wish to do some- 
 thing : I wish to make a play, and you shall see things in 
 your hand." 
 
 ** Oh ! yes, shew me, do shew me." 
 
 ** If you promise not to tell." 
 
 " No, by the Holy Virgin, I will not." 
 
 " Then you shall see." 
 
 Amine lighted some charcoal in a chafing dish, and put 
 it at her feet ; she then took a reed pen, some ink from a 
 small bottle, and a pair of scissors, and wrote down several 
 characters on a paper, singing, or rather chanting, words 
 which were not intelligible to her young companion. 
 Amine then threw frankincense and coriander seed into 
 the chafing dish, which threw out a strong aromatic 
 smoke ; and desiring Pedro to sit down by her on a small 
 stool, she took the boy's right hand and held it in her 
 own. She then drew upon the palm of his hand a square 
 figure with characters on each side of it, and in the centre 
 poured a small quantity of the ink, so as to form a black 
 mirror of the size of a half-a-crown. 
 
 " Now all is ready," said Amine ; ** look, Pedro, what 
 see you in the ink ? " 
 
 ** My own face," replied the boy. 
 
 She threw more frankincense upon the chafing dish, 
 until the room was full of smoke, and then chanted. 
 
 " Turshoon, turyo-shoon — come down, come down. 
 
 ** Be present, ye servants of these names. 
 
 " Remove the veil, and be correct." 
 
 The characters she had drawn upon the paper she had 
 
The Phantom Ship 333 
 
 divided with the scissors, and now taking one of the pieces, 
 she dropped it into the chafing dish, still holding the boy*s 
 hand. 
 
 " Tell me now, Pedro, what do you see ? " 
 
 ** I see a man sweeping," replied Pedro, alarmed. 
 
 «* Fear not, Pedro, you shall see more. Has he done 
 sweeping ? " 
 
 " Yes, he has.** 
 
 And Amine muttered words, which were unintelligible, 
 and threw into the chafing dish the other half of the paper 
 with the characters she had written down. " Say now, 
 Pedro, Philip Vanderdecken, appear." 
 
 " Philip Vanderdecken, appear ! " responded the boy, 
 trembling. 
 
 " Tell me what thou seest, Pedro — tell me true ? '* said 
 Amine, anxiously. 
 
 "I see a man lying down on the white sand ; (I don't 
 like this play.) " 
 
 "Be not alarmed, Pedro, you shall have sweetmeats 
 directly. Tell me what thou seest, how the man is 
 dressed ? '* 
 
 ** He has a short coat — he has white trousers — he looks 
 about him — he takes something out of his breast and kisses 
 it." 
 
 ** 'Tis he ! 'tis he ! and he lives ! Heaven, I thank thee. 
 Look again, boy." 
 
 " He gets up (I don't like this play ; I am frightened j 
 indeed I am.) " 
 
 " Fear not." 
 
 " Oh, yes, I am — I cannot," replied Pedro, falling on his 
 knees ; " pray let me go." 
 
 Pedro had turned his hand, and spilt the ink, the charm 
 was broken, and Amine could learn no more. She soothed 
 the boy with presents, made him repeat his promise that 
 he would not tell, and postponed further search into fate 
 until the boy should appear to have recovered from his 
 terror, and be willing to resume the ceremonies. 
 
 " My Philip lives — mother, dear mother, I thank you." 
 
334 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Amine did not allow Pedro to leave the room until he 
 appeared to have quite recovered from his fright ; for some 
 days she did not say anything to him, except to remind 
 him of his promise not to tell his mother, or any one else, 
 and she loaded him with presents. 
 
 One afternoon when his mother was gone out, Pedro 
 came in, and asked Amine " whether they should not have 
 the play over again ? " 
 
 Amine, who was anxious to know more, was glad of 
 the boy's request, and soon had everything prepared. 
 Again was her chamber filled with the smoke of the 
 frankincense : again was she muttering her incantations : 
 the magic mirror was on the boy's hand, and once more 
 had Pedro cried out, *' Philip Vanderdecken, appear!" 
 when the door burst open, and Father Mathias, the 
 widow, and several other people made their appearance. 
 Amine started up — Pedro screamed and ran to his mother. 
 
 " Then I was not mistaken at what I saw in the cottage 
 at Terneuse," cried Father Mathias, with his arms folded 
 over his breast, and with looks of indignation j ** accursed 
 sorceress ! you are detected." 
 
 Amine returned his gaze with scorn, and coolly replied, 
 " I am not of your creed — you know it. Eaves-dropping 
 appears to be a portion of your religion. This is my 
 chamber — it is not the first time I have had to request you 
 to leave it — I do so now — you — and those who have come 
 in with you." 
 
 " Take up all those implements of sorcery first," said 
 Father Mathias to his companions. The chafing dish, and 
 other articles used by Amine, were taken away , and 
 Father Mathias and the others quitting the room. Amine 
 was left alone. 
 
 Amine had a foreboding that she was lost 5 she knew 
 that magic was a crime of the highest degree in Catholic 
 countries, and that she had been detected in the very act. 
 ** Well, well J " thought Amine ; "it is my destiny, and I 
 can brave the worst." 
 
 To account for the appearance of Father Mathias and 
 
The Phantom Ship ^^^ 
 
 the witnesses, it must be observed, that the little boy 
 Pedro had, the day after Amine*s first attempt, forgotten 
 his promise, and narrated to his mother all that had passed. 
 The widow, frightened at what the boy had told her, 
 thought it right to go to Father Mathias, and confide to 
 him what her son had told her, as it was, in her opinion, 
 sorcery. Father Mathias questioned Pedro closely, and, 
 convinced that such was the case, determined to have 
 witnesses to confront Amine. He therefore proposed that 
 the boy should appear to be willing to try again, and had 
 instructed him for the purpose, having previously arranged 
 that they should break in upon Amine, as we have 
 described. 
 
 About half-an-hour afterwards, two men dressed in 
 black gowns came into Amine's room, and requested that 
 she would follow them, or that force would be used. 
 Amine made no resistance ; they crossed the square ; the 
 gate of a large building was opened ; they desired her to 
 walk in, and, in a few seconds. Amine found herself in one 
 of the dungeons of the Inquisition. 
 
 Chapter XXXVI 
 
 Previous to continuing our narrative, it may be as well to 
 give our readers some little insight into the nature, cere- 
 monies, and regulations of the Inquisition ; and in describ- 
 ing that of Goa, we may be said to describe all others, 
 with very trifling, if any, variation. 
 
 The Santa Casa, or Inquisition of Goa, is situated on 
 one side of a large square, called the Terra di Sabaio. It 
 is a massive handsome pile of stone buildings, with three 
 doors in the front ; the centre one is larger than the two 
 lateral, and it is through the centre door that you go into 
 the Hall of Judgment. The side-doors lead to spacious 
 and handsome apartments for the Inquisitors, and officers 
 attached to the estabfishment. 
 
33^ The Phantom Ship 
 
 Behind these apartments are the cells and dungeons of 
 the Inquisition ; they are in two long galleries, with 
 double doors to each, and are about ten feet square. 
 There are about two hundred of them ; some are much 
 more comfortable than the others, as light and air are 
 admitted into them : others are wholly dark. In the 
 galleries the keepers watch, and not a word or a sound 
 can proceed from any cell without their being able to 
 overhear it. The treatment of those confined is, as far as 
 respects their food, very good : great care is taken that 
 the nourishment is of that nature that the prisoners may 
 not suffer from the indigestion arising from want of exer- 
 cise. Surgical attendance is also permitted them ; but, 
 unless on very particular occasions, no priests are allowed 
 to enter. Any consolation to be derived from religion, 
 even the office of confessor and extreme unction, in case of 
 dissolution, are denied them. Should they die during 
 their confinement, whether proved guilty or not of the 
 crime of which they are accused, they are buried without 
 any funeral ceremony, and tried afterwards ; if then found 
 guilty, their bones are disinterred, and the execution of 
 their sentence is passed upon their remains. 
 
 There are two Inquisitors at Goa : one the Grand 
 Inquisitor, and the other his second, who are invariably 
 chosen from the order of St-Dominique ; these two are 
 assisted in their judgment and examinations by a large 
 number selected from the religious orders, who are termed 
 deputies of the Holy Office, but who only attend when 
 summoned : they have other officers, whose duty it is to 
 examine all published books, and ascertain if there is any- 
 thing in their pages contrary to the holy religion. There 
 is also a public accuser, a procureur of the Inquisition, 
 and lawyers, who are permitted to plead the case of the 
 prisoners, but whose chief business and interest it is to 
 obtain their secrets and betray them. What are termed 
 Familiars of the Inquisition, are, in fact, nothing but this 
 description of people : but this disgraceful office is taken 
 upon themselves by the highest nobility, who think it an 
 
The Phantom Ship 2>2>7 
 
 Honour as well as a security, to be enrolled among the 
 Familiars of the Inquisition, who are thus to be found 
 dispersed throughout society ; and every careless word, or 
 expression, is certain to be repeated to the Holy Office. 
 A summons to attend at the Inquisition is never opposed ; 
 if it were, the whole populace would rise and enforce it. 
 Those who are confined in the dungeons of the Inquisition 
 are kept separate ; it is a very uncommon thing to put two 
 together : it is only done when it is considered that the 
 prolonged solitude of the dungeon has created such a 
 depression of spirits as to endanger the life of the party. 
 Perpetual silence is enjoined and strictly kept. Those who 
 wail or weep, or even pray, in their utter darkness, are 
 forced by blows to be quiet. The cries and shrieks of 
 those who suffer from this chastisement, or from the tor- 
 ture, are carried along the whole length of the corridors, 
 terrifying those who, in solitude and darkness, are antici- 
 pating the same fate. 
 
 The first question put to a person arrested by the In- 
 quisition, is a demand, "What is his property?" He is 
 desired to make an exact declaration of everything that he 
 is worth, and swear to the truth of his assertions ; being 
 informed that, if there is any reservation on his part 
 (although he may be at that time innocent of the charges 
 produced against him), — ^he will, by his concealment, have 
 incurred the wrath of the Inquisition ; and that, if dis- 
 charged for the crime he is accused of, he will again be 
 arrested for having taken a false oath to the Inquisition ; 
 that, if innocent, his property will be safe, and not inter- 
 fered with. It is not without reason that this demand is 
 made. If a person accused confesses his crime, he is, 
 in most cases, eventually allowed to go free, but all his 
 property becomes confiscated. 
 
 By the rules of the Inquisition, it is made to appear as if 
 those condemned have the show of justice ; for, although 
 two witnesses are sufficient to warrant the apprehension 
 of any individual, seven are necessary to convict him ; 
 but as the witnesses are never confronted with the 
 p.s. T 
 
338 The Phantom Ship 
 
 prisoners, and torture is often applied to the witnesses, 
 it is not difficult to obtain the number required. Many 
 a life is falsely sworn away by the witness, that he may 
 save his own. The chief crimes which are noticed by 
 the Inquisition are those of sorcery, heresy, blasphemy, 
 and what is called Judaism, 
 
 To comprehend the meaning of this last crime, for 
 which more people have suffered from the Inquisition 
 than for any other, the reader must be informed, that 
 when Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile drove all the Jews 
 out of Spain, they fled to Portugal, where they were 
 received on the sole condition that they should embrace 
 Christianity : this they consented, or appeared to consent, 
 to do ; but these converts were despised by the Portuguese 
 people, who did not believe them to be sincere. They 
 obtained the title of New Christians, in contradistinction to 
 that of Old Christians. After a time the two were 
 occasionally intermingled in marriage 5 but when so, it was 
 always a reproach to the old families ; and descendants 
 from these alliances were long termed, by way of reproach, 
 as having a portion of the New Christians in them. 
 
 The descendants of the old families thus intermingled, 
 not only lost caste, but, as the genealogy of every family 
 was well known, they were looked upon with suspicion, 
 and were always at the mercy of the Holy Office, when 
 denounced for Judaism, — that is, for returning to the old 
 Jewish practices of keeping the Passover, and the other 
 ceremonies enforced by Moses. 
 
 Let us see how an accusation of this kind works in the 
 hands of the Inquisition. A really sincere Catholic, 
 descended from one of these unhappy families, is accused 
 and arrested by the orders of the Inquisition ; he is 
 ordered to declare his property, which, — convinced of his 
 innocence, and expecting soon to be released, he does 
 without reservation. But hardly has the key of the 
 dungeon turned upon him, when all his effects are seized 
 and sold by public auction ; it being well understood that 
 they never will be restored to him. After some months' 
 
The Phantom Ship 339 
 
 confinement, he is called into the Hall of Justice, and 
 asked if he knows why he is in prison ; they advise him 
 earnestly to confess and to conceal nothing, as it is the 
 only way by which he can obtain his liberty. He declares 
 his ignorance, and being sent for several times, persists in 
 it. The period of the Auto da Fe^ or Act of Faith, which 
 takes place every two or three years (that is, the 
 public execution of those who have been found guilty by 
 the Inquisition), approaches. The public accuser then 
 comes forward, stating that the prisoner has been accused 
 by a number of witnesses of Judaism. They persuade him 
 to acknowledge his guilt ; he persists in his innocence ; 
 they then pass a sentence on him, which they term Convicto 
 Invotivo, which means " found guilty, but will not confess 
 his crime 5 " and he is sentenced to be burnt at the 
 approaching celebration. After this they follow him to his 
 cell, and exhort him to confess his guilt, and promise that 
 if he does confess he shall be pardoned ; and these appeals 
 are continued until the evening of the day before his 
 execution. Terrified at the idea of a painful death, the 
 wretch, at last, to save his life, consents. He is called into 
 the Hall of Judgment, confesses the crime that he has not 
 committed, and imagines that he is now saved. — Alas ! no ; 
 he has entangled himself, and cannot escape. 
 
 "You acknowledge that you have been guilty of 
 observing the laws of Moses. These ceremonies cannot be 
 performed alone ; you cannot have eaten the Paschal lamb 
 alone ; tell us immediately, who were those who assisted at 
 those ceremonies, or your life is still forfeited, and the 
 stake is prepared for you." 
 
 Thus has he accused himself without gaining anything, 
 and if he wishes to save his life he must accuse others ; and 
 who can be accused but his own friends and acquaintances ? 
 nay, in all probability, his own relations — his brothers, 
 sisters, wife, sons or daughters — for it is natural to suppose 
 that in all such practices a man will trust only his own 
 family. Whether a man confesses his guilt, or dies 
 asserting his innocence, his worldly property is in 
 
340 The Phantom Ship 
 
 either case confiscated ; but it is of great consequence to 
 the Inquisition that he should confess, as his act of con- 
 fession, with his signature annexed, is publicly read, 
 and serves to prove to the world that the Inquisition is 
 impartial and just ; nay, more, even merciful, as it pardons 
 those who have been proved to be guilty. 
 
 At Goa the accusations of sorcery and magic were much 
 more frequent than at the Inquisitions at other places, 
 arising from the customs and ceremonies of the Hindoos 
 being very much mixed up with absurd superstitions. 
 These people, and the slaves from other parts, very often 
 embraced Christianity to please their masters ; but since, 
 if they had been baptised and were afterwards convicted 
 of any crime, they were sentenced to the punishment by 
 fire; whereas, if they had not been baptised, they were 
 only punished by whipping, imprisonment, or the galleys ; 
 upon this ground alone many refused to embrace Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 We have now detailed all that we consider, up to the 
 present, necessary for the information of the reader ; 
 all that is omitted he will gather as we proceed with our 
 history. 
 
 Chapter XXXVII 
 
 A FEW hours after Amine had been in the dungeon, the 
 jailors entered: without speaking to her they let down 
 her soft silky hair, and cut it close off. Amine, with her 
 lip curled in contempt, and without resistance and ex- 
 postulation, allowed them to do their work. They finished, 
 and she was again left to her solitude. 
 
 The next day the jailors entered her cell, and ordered 
 her to bare her feet, and follow them. She looked at 
 them, and they at her. "If you do not, we must," 
 observed one of the men, who was moved by her youth 
 and beauty. Amine did as she was desired and was led 
 
The Phantom Ship 341 
 
 into the Hall of Justice, where she found only the Grand 
 Inquisitor and the Secretary. 
 
 The Hall of Justice was a long room with lofty windows 
 on each side, and also at the end opposite to the door 
 through which she had been led in. In the centre, on a 
 raised dais, was a long table covered with a cloth of 
 alternate blue and fawn-coloured stripes 5 and at the end 
 opposite to where Amine was brought in was raised an 
 enormous crucifix, with a carved image of our Saviour. 
 The jailor pointed to a small bench, and intimated to 
 Amine that she was to sit down. 
 
 After a scrutiny of some moments, the Secretary 
 spoke : — 
 
 " What is your name ? " 
 
 ** Amine Vanderdecken." 
 
 " Of what country ? " 
 
 " My husband is of the Low Countries 5 I am from the 
 East." 
 
 " "What is your husband ? " 
 
 " The captain of a Dutch Indiaman." 
 
 ** How came you here ? " 
 
 " His vessel was wrecked, and we were separated.'* 
 
 ** Whom do you know here ? " 
 
 ** Father Mathias." 
 
 " What property have you ? " 
 
 ** None ; it is my husband's." 
 
 « Where is it ? " 
 
 " In the custody of Father Mathias." 
 
 ** Are you aware why you are brought here ? " 
 
 " How should I be ? " replied Amine, evasively ; " tell 
 me what I am accused of." 
 
 " You must know whether you have done wrong or 
 not. You had better confess all your conscience accuses 
 you of." 
 
 " My conscience does not accuse me of doing wrong." 
 
 ** Then you will confess nothing ? " 
 
 " By your own showing, I have nothing to confess." 
 
 "You say you are from the East : are you a Christian ? " 
 
342 The Phantom Ship 
 
 ** I reject your creed." 
 
 " You are married to a Catholic ? " 
 
 " Yes ! a true Catholic." 
 
 ** Who married you ? " 
 
 " Father Seysen, a Catholic priest." 
 
 ** Did you enter into the bosom of the church ? — did he 
 venture to marry you without your being baptised ? " 
 
 " Some ceremony did take place which I consented to." 
 
 ** It was baptism, was it not ? " 
 
 ** I believe it was so termed." 
 
 " And now you say that you reject the creed ? " 
 
 "Since I have witnessed the conduct of those who 
 profess it, I do : at the time of my marriage I was disposed 
 towards it." 
 
 "What is the amount of your property in the Father 
 Mathias's hands ? " 
 
 ** Some hundreds of dollars — he knows exactly." 
 
 The Grand Inquisitor rang a bell ; the jailors entered, 
 and Amine was led back to her dungeon. 
 
 "Why should they ask so often about my money?" 
 mused Amine; "If they require it, they may take it. 
 What is their power ? What would they do with me ? 
 Well, well, a few days will decide." A few days ! — no, 
 no. Amine ; years perhaps would have passed without 
 decision, but that in four months from the date of your 
 incarceration, the ^ufo da Fe, which had not been cele- 
 brated for upwards of three years, was to take place, and 
 there was not a sufficient number of those who were to 
 undergo the last punishment to render the ceremony im- 
 posing. A few more were required for the stake, or you 
 would not have escaped from those dungeons so soon. As 
 it was, a month of anxiety and suspense, almost insupport- 
 able, had to be passed away, before Amine was again 
 summoned to the Hall of Justice. 
 
 Amine, at the time we have specified, was again intro- 
 duced to the Hall of Justice, and was again asked if she 
 would confess. Irritated at her long confinement, and the 
 injustice of the proceedings, she replied, " I have told you 
 
The Phantom Ship 343 
 
 once for all, that I have nothing to confess ; do with me 
 as you will ; but be quick." 
 
 " Will torture oblige you to confess ? " 
 
 ** Try me," replied Amine, firmly — " try me, cruel men ; 
 and if you gain but one word from me, then call me 
 craven : I am but a woman — but I dare you — I defy you." 
 
 It was seldom that such expressions fell upon the ears 
 oE her judges, and still more seldom that a countenance 
 was lighted up with such determination. But the torture 
 was never applied until after the accusation had been made 
 and answered. 
 
 " We shall see," said the Grand Inquisitor : " take her 
 away." 
 
 Amine was led back to her cell. In the meantime, 
 Father Mathias had had several conferences with the 
 Inquisitor. Although, in his wrath he had accused Amine, 
 and had procured the necessary witnesses against her, he 
 now felt uneasy and perplexed. His long residence with 
 her — her invariable kindness till the time of his dismissal 
 — his knowledge that she had never embraced the faith — 
 her boldness and courage, nay, her beauty and youth — all 
 worked strongly in her favour. His only object now was, 
 to persuade her to confess that she was wrong, induce her 
 to embrace the faith, and save her. With this view he had 
 obtained permission from the Holy Office to enter her 
 dungeon, and reason with her — a special favour which for 
 many reasons they could not well refuse him. It was on 
 the third day after her second examination, that the bolts 
 were removed at an unusual hour, and Father Mathias 
 entered the cell, which was again barred, and he was left 
 alone with Amine. " My child ! my child ! " exclaimed 
 Father Mathias, with sorrow in his countenance. 
 
 " Nay, Father, this is mockery. It is you who brought 
 me here — leave me." 
 
 **I brought you here, 'tis true; but I would now 
 remove you, if you will permit me, Amine." 
 
 " Most willingly ; Fll follow you." 
 
 *' Nay, nay ! there is much to talk over, much to be 
 
244 '^^ Phantom Ship 
 
 done. This is not a dungeon from which people can 
 escape so easily." 
 
 " Then tell me what have you to say ; and what is it 
 must be done ? " 
 
 "I will." 
 
 " But, stop ; before you say one word answer me one 
 question as you hope for bliss: have you heard aught 
 of Philip?" 
 
 " Yes, I have. He is well." 
 
 ** And where is he ? " 
 
 " He will soon be here." 
 
 " God, I thank you ! Shall I see him. Father ? " 
 
 ** That must depend upon yourself." 
 
 " Upon myself. Then tell me, quickly, what would 
 they have me do ? " 
 
 ** Confess your sins — your crimes." 
 
 " What sins ? — what crimes ? " 
 
 "Have you not dealt with evil beings, invoked the 
 spirits, and gained the assistance of those who are not 
 of this world ? " 
 
 Amine made no reply. 
 
 ** Answer me. Do you not confess ?" 
 
 " I do not confess to have done anything wrong." 
 
 **This is useless. You were seen by me and others. 
 What will avail your denial? Are you aware of the 
 punishment, which most surely awaits you, if you do not 
 confess, and become a member of our church ? " 
 
 ** Why am I to become a member of your church ? Do 
 you, then, punish those who refuse ? " 
 
 " No : had you not already consented to receive baptism, 
 you would not have been asked to become so -, but having 
 been baptised, you must now become a member, or be 
 supposed to fall back into heresy." 
 
 " I knew not the nature of your baptism at that time." 
 
 ** Granted : but you consented to it." 
 
 ** Be it so. But, pray, what may be the punishment, 
 if I refuse?" 
 
 '* You will be burnt alive at the stake j nothing can 
 
The Phantom Ship 345 
 
 save you. Hear me, Amine Vanderdecken : when next 
 summoned, you must confess all; and, asking pardon, 
 request to be received into the church ; then will you be 
 saved, and you will *' 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " Again be clasped in Philip's arms." 
 
 " My Philip ! my Philip ! you, indeed, press me hard 5 
 but. Father, if I confess I am wrong, when I feel that 
 I am not ** 
 
 ** Feel that you are not ! " 
 
 ** Yes. I invoked my mother's assistance 5 she gave it 
 me in a dream. Would a mother have assisted her 
 daughter, if it were wrong ? " 
 
 "It was not your mother, but a fiend who took the 
 likeness." 
 
 ** It was my mother. Again you ask me to say that I 
 believe that which I cannot." 
 
 " That which you cannot ! Amine Vanderdecken, be not 
 obstinate." 
 
 "I am not obstinate, good Father. Have you not 
 offered me, what is to me beyond all price, that I should 
 again be in the arms of my husband ? Can I degrade 
 myself to a lie ? not for life, or liberty or even for my 
 Philip." 
 
 "Amine Vanderdecken, if you will confess your crime, 
 before you are accused, you will have done much ; after 
 your accusation has been made, it will be of little avail." 
 
 "It will not be done either before or after. Father. 
 What I have done I have done, but a crime it is not to me 
 and mine ; with you it may be, but I am not of yours." 
 
 " Recollect also that you peril your husband, for having 
 wedded with a sorceress. Forget not : to-morrow I will 
 see you again." 
 
 " My mind is troubled," replied Amine. " Leave me. 
 Father, it will be a kindness." 
 
 Father Mathias quitted the cell, pleased with the last 
 words of Amine. The idea of her husband's danger 
 seemed to have startled her. 
 
346 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Amine threw herself down on the mattress, in the corner 
 of the cell, and hid her face. 
 
 " Burnt alive ! " exclaimed she after a time, sitting up, 
 and passing her hands over her forehead. ** Burnt alive ! 
 and these are Christians. This, then, was the cruel death 
 foretold by that creature, Schriften — foretold — yes, and 
 therefore must be : it is my destiny : I cannot save myself. 
 If I confess, then, I confess that Philip is wedded to a 
 sorceress, and he will be punished too. No, never — 
 never : I can suffer, *tis cruel — 'tis horrible to think of — 
 but 'twill soon be over. God of my fathers, give me 
 strength against these wicked men, and enable me to bear 
 all, for my dear Philip's sake." 
 
 The next evening Father Mathias again made his 
 appearance. He found Amine calm and collected: she 
 refused to listen to his advice, or follow his injunctions. 
 His last observation, that " her husband would be in peril, 
 if she was found guilty of sorcery," had steeled her heart, 
 and she had determined that neither torture nor the stake 
 should make her confess the act. The priest left the cell, 
 sick at heart ; he now felt miserable at the idea of Amine's 
 perishing by so dreadful a death ; accused himself of pre- 
 cipitation, and wished that he had never seen Amine, whose 
 constancy and courage, although in error, excited his 
 admiration and his pity. And then he thought of Philip, 
 who had treated him so kindly — how could he meet him ? 
 And if he asked for his wife — what answer could he 
 give ? 
 
 Another fortnight passed, when Amine was again 
 summoned to the Hall of Judgment, and again asked if 
 she confessed her crimes. Upon her refusal, the accusa- 
 tions against her were read. She was accused by Father 
 Mathias with practising forbidden arts, and the depositions 
 of the boy Pedro, and the other witnesses, were read. In 
 his zeal. Father Mathias also stated that he had found her 
 guilty of the same practices at Terneuse ; and moreover, 
 that in the violent storm when all expected to perish, she 
 had remained calm. and courageous, and told the captain 
 
The Phantom Ship 347 
 
 that they would be saved ; which could only have been 
 known by an undue spirit of prophecy, given by evil 
 spirits. Amine's lip curled in derision when she heard the 
 last accusation. She was asked if she had any defence to 
 make. 
 
 " What defence can be offered," replied she, " to such 
 accusations as these ? Witness the last — because I was 
 not so craven as the Christians, I am accused of sorcery. 
 The old dotard ! but I will expose him. Tell me, if one 
 knows that sorcery is used, and conceals or allows it, is he 
 not a participator and equally guilty ? " 
 
 "He is," replied the Inquisitor, anxiously awaiting the 
 result. 
 
 *' Then I denounce '*— — And Amine was about to reveal 
 that Philip's mission was known, and not forbidden by 
 Fathers Mathias and Seysen ; when recollecting that Philip 
 would be implicated, she stopped. 
 
 ** Denounce whom ? " inquired the Inquisitor. 
 
 " No one," replied Amine, folding her arms and droop- 
 ing her head. 
 
 ** Speak, woman." 
 
 Amine made no answer. 
 
 " The torture will make you speak." 
 
 "Never!" replied Amine. "Never! Torture me to 
 death, if you choose ; I prefer it to a public execution." 
 
 The Inquisitor and the Secretary consulted a short time. 
 Convinced that Amine would adhere to her resolution, 
 and requiring her for public execution, they abandoned the 
 idea of the torture. 
 
 " Do you confess ? " inquired the Inquisitor. 
 
 " No," replied Amine, firmly. 
 
 " Then take her away." 
 
 The night before the Auto da Fe, Father Mathias again 
 entered the cell of Amine, but all his endeavours to convert 
 her were useless. 
 
 " To-morrow will end it all. Father," replied Amine ; 
 " leave me — I would be alone." 
 
348 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Chapter XXXVIII 
 
 We must now return to Philip and Krantz. When the 
 latter retired from the presence of the Portuguese Com- 
 mandant, he communicated to Philip what had taken place, 
 and the fabulous tale which he had invented to deceive the 
 Commandant. " I said that you alone knew where the 
 treasure was concealed," continued Krantz, " that you 
 might be sent for, for in all probability he will keep me 
 as a hostage : but never mind that, I must take my chance. 
 Do you contrive to escape somehow or another, and rejoin 
 Amine." 
 
 '* Not so," replied Philip, " you must go with me, my 
 friend : I feel that should I part with you, happiness would 
 no longer be in store for me." 
 
 " Nonsense — that is but an idle feeling ; besides, I will 
 evade him somehow or another." 
 
 ** I will not show the treasure, unless you go with 
 me. 
 
 " Well — you may try it at all events." 
 
 A low tap at the door was heard. Philip rose and 
 opened it (for they had retired to rest), and Pedro came 
 in. Looking carefully round him, and then shutting the 
 door softly, he put his finger on his lips to enjoin them 
 to silence. He then in a whisper told them what he had 
 overheard. ** Contrive, if possible, that I go with you," 
 continued he ; "I must leave you now ; he still paces his 
 room." And Pedro slipped out of the door, and crawled 
 stealthily away along the ramparts. 
 
 " The treacherous little rascal 1 But we will circumvent 
 him, if possible," said Krantz, in a low tone. ** Yes, 
 Philip, you are right, we must both go, for you will 
 require my assistance. I must persuade him to go himself. 
 FU think of it — so Philip, good-night." 
 
 The next morning Philip and Krantz were summoned to 
 breakfast ; the Commandant received them with smiles and 
 
The Phantom Ship 349 
 
 urbanity. To Philip he was peculiarly courteous. As 
 soon as the repast was over, he thus communicated to him 
 his intentions and wishes : — 
 
 " Signor, I have been reflecting upon what your friend 
 told me, and the appearance of the spectre yesterday, 
 which created such confusion ; it induced me to behave 
 with a rashness for which I must now offer my most 
 sincere apologies. The reflections which I have made, 
 joined with the feelings of devotion which must be in the 
 heart of every true Catholic, have determined me, with 
 your assistance, to obtain this treasure dedicated to the 
 holy church. It is my proposal that you should take a 
 party of soldiers under your orders, proceed to the island 
 on which it is deposited, and having obtained it, return 
 here. I will detain any vessel which may in the meantime 
 put into the roadstead, and you shall then be the bearers 
 of the treasure and of my letters to Goa. This will give 
 you an honourable introduction to the authorities, and 
 enable you to pass away your time there in the most 
 agreeable manner. You will also, signor, be restored to 
 your wife, whose charms had such an effect upon me ; and 
 for mention of whose name in the very unceremonious 
 manner which I did, I must excuse myself upon the 
 ground of total ignorance of who she was, or of her being 
 in any way connected with your honourable person. If 
 these measures suit you, signor, I shall be most happy to 
 give orders to that effect." 
 
 " As a good Catholic myself," replied Philip, " I shall 
 be most happy to point out the spot where the treasure 
 is concealed, and restore it to the church. Your apologies 
 relative to my wife I accept with pleasure, being aware 
 that your conduct proceeded from ignorance of her situa- 
 tion and rank; but I do not exactly see my way clear. 
 You propose a party of soldiers. Will they obey me ? — 
 Are they to be trusted ? — I shall have only myself and 
 friend against them, and will they be obedient ? " 
 
 ** No fear of that, signor, they are well disciplined ; 
 there is not even occasion for your friend to go with you. 
 
350 The Phantom Ship 
 
 I wish to retain him with me, to keep me company during 
 your absence." 
 
 " Nay ! that I must object to," replied Philip j " I wiU 
 not trust myself alone." 
 
 " Perhaps I may be allowed to give an opinion on this 
 subject," observed Krantz ; " I see no reason, if my friend 
 goes accompanied with a party of soldiers only, why I 
 should not go with him 5 but I consider it would be un- 
 advisable that he proceed in the way the Commandant 
 proposes, either with or without me. You must recollect. 
 Commandant, that it is no trifling sum which is to be 
 carried away ; that it will be open to view, and wiU meet 
 the eyes of your men 5 that these men have been detained 
 many years in this country, and are anxious to return 
 home. When, therefore, they find themselves with only 
 two strangers with them — away from your authority, and 
 in possession of a large sum of money — will not the 
 temptation be too strong ? They will only have to run 
 down the southern channel, gain the port of Bantam, and 
 they will be safe j having obtained both freedom and 
 wealth. To send, therefore, my friend and me, would be 
 to send us to almost certain death 5 but if you were to go. 
 Commandant, then the danger would no longer exist. 
 Your presence and your authority would control them ; 
 and, whatever their wishes or thoughts might be, they 
 would quail before the flash of your eye." 
 
 ** Very true — very true," replied Philip — ** all this did 
 not occur to me." 
 
 Nor had it occurred to the Commandant, but when 
 pointed out, the force of these suggestions immediately 
 struck him, and long before Krantz had finished speaking, 
 he had resolved to go himself. 
 
 " Well, signers," replied he ; ** I am always ready to 
 accede to your wishes ; and since you consider my presence 
 necessary, and as I do not think there is any chance of 
 another attack from the Ternate people just now, I will 
 take upon myself the responsibility of leaving the fort for 
 a few days under the charge of my lieutenant, while we do 
 
The Phantom Ship 351 
 
 this service to Holy Mother Church. I have already sent 
 for one of the native vessels, which are large and com- 
 modious, and will, with your permission, embark to- 
 morrow." 
 
 " Two vessels will be better," observed Krantz ; ** in 
 the first place, in case of an accident ; and next because 
 we can embark all the treasure in one with ourselves, and 
 put a portion of the soldiers in the other ; so that we may 
 be in greater force, in case of the sight of so much wealth 
 stimulating them to insubordination." 
 
 ** True, signor, we will have two vessels ; your advice 
 is good." 
 
 Everything was thus satisfactorily arranged, with the 
 exception of their wish that Pedro should accompany them 
 on their expedition. They were debating how this should 
 be brought on the tapis, when the soldier came to them, 
 and stated that the Commandant had ordered him to be of 
 the party, and that he was to offer his services to the two 
 strangers. 
 
 On the ensuing day everything was prepared. Ten 
 soldiers and a corporal had been selected by the Com- 
 mandant ; and it required but little time to put into the 
 vessels the provisions and other articles which were re- 
 quired. At daylight they embarked — the Commandant and 
 Philip in one boat ; Krantz, with the corporal and Pedro, in 
 the other. The men, who had been kept in ignorance of 
 the object of the expedition, were now made acquainted 
 with it by Pedro, and a long whispering took place between 
 them, much to the satisfaction of Krantz, who was aware 
 that the mutiny would soon be excited, when it was under- 
 stood that those who composed the expedition were to be 
 sacrificed to the avarice of the Commandant. The weather 
 being fine, they sailed on during the night : passed the 
 island of Ternate at ten leagues' distance ; and before 
 morning were among the cluster of isles, the southernmost 
 of which was the one on which the treasure had been 
 buried. On the second night the vessels were beached 
 upon a small island ; and then, for the first time, a com- 
 
352 The Phantom Ship 
 
 munication took place between the soldiers who had been 
 in the boat with Pedro and Krantz, and those who had 
 been embarked with the Commandant. Philip and Krantz 
 had also an opportunity of communicating apart for a short 
 time. 
 
 When they made sail the next morning, Pedro spoke 
 openly ; he told Krantz that the soldiers in the boat had 
 made up their minds, and that he had no doubt that the 
 others would do so before night ; although they had not 
 decidedly agreed upon joining them in the morning when 
 they had re-embarked. That they would despatch the 
 Commandant, and then proceed to Batavia, and from thence 
 obtain a passage home to Europe. 
 
 " Cannot you accomplish your end without murder ? '* 
 
 ** Yes, we could ; but not our revenge. You do not 
 know the treatment which we have received from his 
 hands ; and sweet as the money will be to us, his death 
 will be even sweeter Besides, has he not determined to 
 murder us all in some way or another ? It is but justice. 
 No, no ; if there was no other knife ready — mine is." 
 
 ** And so are all ours ! " cried the other soldiers, putting 
 their hands to their weapons. 
 
 One more day's sail brought them within twenty miles 
 erf the island ; for Philip knew his landmarks well. Again 
 they landed, and all retired to rest, the Commandant 
 dreaming of wealth and revenge ; while it was arranging 
 that the digging up of the treasure which he coveted 
 should be the signal for his death. 
 
 Once more did they embark, and the Commandant 
 heeded not the dark and lowering faces with which he was 
 surrounded. He was all gaiety and politeness. Swiftly 
 did they skim over the dark blue sea, between the beautiful 
 islands with which it was studded, and before the sun was 
 three hours high, Philip recognised the one sought after, 
 and pointed out to the Commandant the notched cocoa-nut 
 tree, which served as a guide to the spot where the money 
 had been concealed. They landed on the sandy beach, and 
 the shovels were ordered to be brought on shore by the 
 
The Phantom Ship ^53 
 
 impatient little officer ; who little thought that every 
 moment of time gained was but so much time lost to him, 
 and that while he was smiling and meditating treachery, 
 that others could do the same. 
 
 The party arrived under the tree — the shovels soon 
 removed the light sand, and, in a few minutes, the trea- 
 sure was exposed to view. Bag after bag was handed up, 
 and the loose dollars collected into heaps. Two of the 
 soldiers had been sent to the vessels for sacks to put the 
 loose dollars in, and the men had desisted from their 
 labour j they laid aside their spades, looks were exchanged, 
 and all were ready. 
 
 The Commandant turned round to call to and hasten the 
 movements of the men who had been sent for the sacks, 
 when three or four knives simultaneously pierced him 
 through the back ; he fell, and was expostulating when 
 they were again buried in his bosom, and he lay a corpse. 
 Philip and Krantz remained silent spectators — the knives 
 were drawn out, wiped, and replaced in their sheathes. 
 
 " He has met his reward," said Krantz. 
 
 "Yes," exclaimed the Portuguese soldiers— "justice, 
 nothing but justice." 
 
 " Signors, you shall have your share," observed Pedro. 
 " Shall they not, my men ? " 
 
 "Yes! yes!" 
 
 " Not one dollar, my good friends," replied Philip ; 
 " take all the money, and may you be happy ; all we ask 
 is, your assistance to proceed on our way to where we are 
 about to go. And now before you divide your money, 
 oblige me by burying the body of that unfortunate man." 
 
 The soldiers obeyed. Resuming their shovels, they 
 soon scooped out a shallow grave; the Commandant's 
 body was thrown in, and covered up from sight. 
 
 p.s. 
 
354 The Phantom Ship 
 
 Chapter XXXIX 
 
 Scarcely had the soldiers performed their task, and 
 thrown down their shovels, when they commenced an 
 altercation. It appeared that this money was to be again 
 the cause of slaughter and bloodshed. Philip and Krantz 
 determined to sail immediately in one of the peroquas, and 
 leave them to settle their disputes as they pleased. He 
 asked permission of the soldiers to take from the provisions 
 and water, of which there was ample supply, a larger 
 proportion than was their share ; stating, that he and 
 Krantz had a long voyage and would require it, and 
 pointing out to them that there were plenty of cocoa-nuts 
 for their support. The soldiers, who thought of nothing 
 but their newly-acquired wealth, allowed him to do as he 
 pleased ; and having hastily collected as many cocoa-nuts 
 as they could, to add to their stock of provisions, before 
 noon Philip and Krantz had embarked, and made sail in 
 the peroqua, leaving the soldiers with their knives again 
 drawn, and so busy in their angry altercation as to be 
 heedless of their departure. 
 
 " There will be the same scene over again, I expect," 
 observed Krantz, as the vessel parted swiftly from the 
 shore. 
 
 " I have little doubt of it ; observe, even now they are 
 at blows and stabs." 
 
 ** If I were to name that spot, it should be the ' Accursed 
 IsUr' 
 
 " Would not any other be the same, with so much to 
 inflame the passions of men ? " 
 
 ** Assuredly : what a curse is gold ! " 
 
 " And what a blessing ! '* replied Krantz, ** I am sorry 
 Pedro is left with them." 
 
 " It is their destiny," replied Philip ; "so let's think no 
 more of them. Now what do you propose ? With this 
 vessel, small as she is, we may sail over these seas in 
 
The Phantom Ship 355 
 
 safety ; and we have, I imagine, provisions sufficient for 
 more than a month." 
 
 " My idea is to run into the track of the vessels going 
 to the westward, and obtain a passage to Goa." 
 
 " And if we do not meet with any, we can at all events 
 proceed up the Straits as far as Pulo Penang without risk. 
 There we may safely remain until a vessel passes." 
 
 " I agree with you ; it is our best, nay our only place j 
 unless, indeed, we were to proceed to Cochin, where junks 
 are always leaving for Goa." 
 
 "But that would be out of our way, and the junks 
 cannot well pass us in the Straits without their being seen 
 by us." 
 
 They had no difficulty in steering their course; the 
 islands by day, and the clear stars by night, were their 
 compass. It is true that they did not follow the more 
 direct track, but they followed the more secure, working 
 up through the smooth waters, and gaining to the north- 
 ward more than to the west. Many times were they 
 chased by the Malay proas, which infested the islands, but 
 the swiftness of their little peroqua was their security ; 
 indeed the chase was, generally speaking, abandoned, as 
 soon as the smallness of the vessel was made out by the 
 pirates, who expected that little or no booty was to be 
 gained. 
 
 That Amine and Philip's mission was the constant theme 
 of their discourse, may easily be imagined. One morning, 
 as they were sailing between the isles, with less wind than 
 usual, Philip observed : — 
 
 ** Krantz, you said that there were events in your own 
 life, or connected with it, which would corroborate the 
 mysterious tale I confided to you. Will you now tell me 
 to what you referred ? " 
 
 " Certainly," replied Krantz ; " I have often thought of 
 doing so, but one circumstance or another has hitherto 
 prevented me ; this is, however, a fitting opportunity. 
 Prepare therefore to listen to a strange story, quite as 
 strange, perhaps, as your own. 
 
^^6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 "I take it for granted, that you have heard people 
 speak of the Hartz Mountains," observed Krantz. 
 
 " I have never heard people speak of them that I can 
 recollect," replied Philip ; " but I have read of them in 
 some book, and of the strange things which have occurred 
 there." 
 
 "It is indeed a wild region," rejoined Krantz, "and 
 many strange tales are told of it ; but, strange as they are, 
 I have good reason for believing them to be true. I have 
 told you, Philip, that I fully believe in your communion 
 with the other world — that I credit the history of your 
 father, and the lawfulness of your mission ; for that we 
 are surrounded, impelled, and worked upon by beings 
 different in their nature from ourselves, I have had full 
 evidence, as you will acknowledge, when I state what has 
 occurred in my own family. Why such malevolent beings 
 as I am about to speak of should be permitted to interfere 
 with us, and punish, I may say, comparatively unoffending 
 mortals, is beyond my comprehension ; but that they are 
 so permitted is most certain." 
 
 " The great principle of all evil fulfils his work of evil ; 
 why, then, not the other minor spirits of the same class ? " 
 inquired Philip. "What matters it to us, whether we 
 are tried by, and have to suffer from, the enmity of our 
 fellow-mortals, or whether we are persecuted by beings 
 more powerful and more malevolent than ourselves ? 
 We know that we have to work out our salvation, and 
 that we shall be judged according to our strength; if 
 then there be evil spirits who delight to oppress man, 
 there surely must be, as Amine asserts, good spirits, 
 whose delight is to do him service. Whether, then, we 
 have to struggle against our passions only, or whether 
 we have to struggle not only against our passions, but 
 also the dire influence of unseen enemies, we ever struggle 
 with the same odds in our favour, as the good are stronger 
 than the evil which we combat. In either case we are 
 on the 'vantage ground, whether, as in the first, we fight 
 the good cause single-handed, or as in the second, although 
 
The Phantom Ship 357 
 
 opposed, we have the host of Heaven ranged on our side. 
 Thus are the scales of Divine Justice evenly balanced, 
 and man is still a free agent, as his own virtuous or vicious 
 propensities must ever decide whether he shall gain or 
 lose the victory." 
 
 "Most true," replied Krantz, "and now to my history. 
 
 " My father was not born, or originally a resident, in 
 the Hartz Mountains ; he was the serf of an Hungarian 
 nobleman, of great possessions, in Transylvania; but, al- 
 though a serf, he was not by any means a poor or illiterate 
 man. In fact, he was rich, and his intelligence and 
 respectability were such, that he had been raised by his 
 lord to the stewardship ; but, whoever may happen to be 
 born a serf, a serf must he remain, even though he 
 become a wealthy man; such was the condition of my 
 father. My father had been married for about five years ; 
 and, by his marriage, had three children — my eldest 
 brother Cassar, myself (Hermann), and a sister named 
 Marcella. You know, Philip, that Latin is still the 
 language spoken in that country ; and that will account 
 for our high sounding names. My mother was a very 
 beautiful woman, unfortunately more beautiful than 
 virtuous : she was seen and admired by the lord of the 
 soil ; my father was sent away upon some mission ; and, 
 during his absence, my mother, flattered by the attentions, 
 and won by the assiduities, of this nobleman, yielded to 
 his wishes. It so happened that my father returned very 
 unexpectedly, and discovered the intrigue. The evidence 
 of my mother's shame was positive : he surprised her in 
 the company of her seducer ! Carried away by the 
 impetuosity of his feelings, he watched the opportunity 
 of a meeting taking place between them, and murdered 
 both his wife and her seducer. Conscious that, as a serf, 
 not even the provocation which he had received would 
 be allowed as a justification of his conduct, he hastily 
 collected together what money he could lay his hands 
 upon, and, as we were then in the depth of winter, he 
 put his horses to the sleigh, and taking his children with 
 
^^S The Phantom Ship 
 
 him, he set off in the middle of the night, and was far away 
 before the tragical circumstance had transpired. Aware 
 that he would be pursued, and that he had no chance of 
 escape if he remained in any portion of his native country 
 (in which the authorities could lay hold of him), he 
 continued his flight without intermission until he had 
 buried himself in the intricacies and seclusion of the Hartz 
 Mountains. Of course, all that I have now told you I 
 learned afterwards. My oldest recollections are knit ta 
 a rude, yet comfortable cottage, in which I lived with 
 my father, brother, and sister. It was on the confines 
 of one of those vast forests which cover the northern part 
 of Germany ; around it were a few acres of ground, 
 which, during the summer months, my father cultivated, 
 and which, though they yielded a doubtful harvest, were 
 sufficient for our support. In the winter we remained 
 much in doors, for, as my father followed the chase, we 
 were left alone, and the wolves, during that season, 
 incessantly prowled about. My father had purchased the 
 cottage, and land about it, of one of the rude foresters, 
 who gain their livelihood partly by hunting, and partly 
 by burning charcoal, for the purpose of smelting the ore 
 from the neighbouring mines ; it was distant about two 
 miles from any other habitation. I can call to mind the 
 whole landscape now: the tall pines which rose up on 
 the mountain above us, and the wide expanse of forest 
 beneath, on the topmost boughs and heads of whose treea 
 we looked down from our cottage, as the mountain below 
 us rapidly descended into the distant valley. In summer- 
 time the prospect was beautiful; but during the severe 
 winter, a more desolate scene could not well be 
 imagined. 
 
 " I said that, in the winter, my father occupied himself 
 with the chase; every day he left us, and often would 
 he lock the door, that we might not leave the cottage. 
 He had no one to assist him, or to take care of us — indeed^ 
 it was not easy to find a female servant who would live 
 in such a solitude ; but, could he have found one, my 
 
The Phantom Ship 359 
 
 father would not have received her, for he had imbibed 
 a horror of the sex, as the difference of his conduct 
 towards us, his two boys, and my poor httle sister, 
 Marcella, evidently proved. You may suppose we were 
 sadly neglected ; indeed, we suffered much, for my father, 
 fearful that we might come to some harm, would not 
 allow us fuel, when he left the cottage ; and we were 
 obliged, therefore, to creep under the heaps of bears'-skins, 
 and there to keep ourselves as warm as we could until 
 he returned in the evening, when a blazing fire was our 
 delight. That my father chose this restless sort of life 
 may appear strange, but the fact was that he could not 
 remain quiet ; whether from remorse for having com- 
 mitted murder, or from the misery consequent on his 
 change of situation, or from both combined, he was never 
 happy unless he was in a state of activity. Children, 
 however, when left much to themselves, acquire a 
 thoughtfulness not common to their age. So it was 
 with us ; and during the short cold days of winter we 
 would sit silent, longing for the happy hours when the 
 snow would melt, and the leaves burst out, and the birds 
 begin their songs, and when we should again be set at 
 liberty. 
 
 ** Such was our peculiar and savage sort of life until my 
 brother Caesar was nine, myself seven, and my sister five, 
 years old, when the circumstances occurred on which is 
 based the extraordinary narrative which I am about to 
 relate. 
 
 ** One evening my father returned home rather later 
 than usual ; he had been unsuccessful, and, as the weather 
 was very severe, and many feet of snow were upon the 
 ground, he was not only very cold, but in a very bad 
 humour. He had brought in wood, and we were all 
 three of us gladly assisting each other in blowing on the 
 embers to create the blaze, when he caught poor little 
 Marcella by the arm and threw her aside ; the child fell, 
 struck her mouth, and bled very much. My brother 
 ran to raise her up. Accustomed to ill usage, and afraid 
 
360 The Phantom Ship 
 
 of my father, she did not dare to cry, but looked up in 
 his face very piteously. My father drew his stool nearer 
 to the hearth, muttered something in abuse of women, 
 and busied himself with the fire, which both my brother 
 and I had deserted when our sister was so unkindly 
 treated. A cheerful blaze was soon the result of his 
 exertions; but we did not, as usual, crowd round it. 
 Marcella, still bleeding, retired to a corner, and my 
 brother and I took our seats beside her, while my father 
 hung over the fire gloomily and alone. Such had been 
 our position for about half-an-hour, when the howl of a 
 wolf, close under the window of the cottage, fell on our 
 ears. My father started up, and seized his gun: the 
 howl was repeated, he examined the priming, and then 
 hastily left the cottage, shutting the door after him. 
 We all waited (anxiously listening), for we thought that 
 if he succeeded in shooting the wolf, he would return in 
 a better humour ; and although he was harsh to all of us, 
 and particularly so to our little sister, still we loved our 
 father, and loved to see him cheerful and happy, for what 
 else had we to look up to ? And I may here observe, 
 that perhaps there never were three children who were 
 fonder of each other; we did not, like other children, 
 fight and dispute together; and if, by chance, any dis- 
 agreement did arise between my elder brother and me, 
 little Marcella would run to us, and kissing us both, seal, 
 through her entreaties, the peace between us. Marcella 
 was a lovely, amiable child; I can recall her beautiful 
 features even now — Alas ! poor little Marcella." 
 
 " She is dead then ? " observed Philip. 
 
 " Dead ! yes, dead ! — but how did she die .? — But I 
 must not anticipate, Philip ; let me tell my story. 
 
 " We waited for some time, but the report of the gun 
 did not reach us, and my elder brother then said, * Our 
 father has followed the wolf, and will not be back for some 
 time. Marcella, let us wash the blood from your mouth, 
 and then we will leave this corner, and go to the fire 
 and warm ourselves.' 
 
The Phantom Ship 361 
 
 "We did so, and remained there until near midnight, 
 every minute wondering, as it grew later, why our father 
 did not return. We had no idea that he was in any danger, 
 but we thought that he must have chased the wolf for a 
 very long time. • I will look out and see if father is 
 coming,' said my brother Caesar, going to the door. * Take 
 care,' said Marcella, * the wolves must be about now, and 
 we cannot kill them, brother.' My brother opened the 
 door very cautiously, and but a few inches ; he peeped 
 out. — * I see nothing,' said he, after a time, and once more 
 he joined us at the fire. * We have had no supper,' said 
 I, for my father usually cooked the meat as soon as he came 
 home; and during his absence we had nothing but the 
 fragments of the preceding day. 
 
 " * And if our father comes home after his hunt, Csesar,' 
 said Marcella, * he will be pleased to have some supper ; 
 let us cook it for him and for ourselves.' Caesar climbed 
 upon the stool, and reached down some meat — I forget now 
 whether it was venison or bear's meat ; but we cut off the 
 usual quantity, and proceeded to dress it, as we used to do 
 under our father's superintendence. We were all busied 
 putting it into the platters before the fire, to await his 
 coming, when we heard the sound of a horn. We listened 
 — there was a noise outside, and a minute afterwards my 
 father entered, ushering in a young female, and a large 
 dark man in a hunter's dress. 
 
 ** Perhaps I had better now relate, what was only known 
 to me many years afterwards. When my father had left 
 the cottage, he perceived a large white wolf about thirty 
 yards from him ; as soon as the animal saw my father, it 
 retreated slowly, growling and snarling. My father fol- 
 lowed ; the animal did not run, but always kept at some 
 distance ; and my father did not like to fire until he was 
 pretty certain that his ball would take effect: thus they 
 went on for some time, the wolf now leaving my father far 
 behind, and then stopping and snarling defiance at him, and 
 then again, on his approach, setting off at speed. 
 
 " Anxious to shoot the animal (for the white wolf is very 
 
362 The Phantom Ship 
 
 rare), my father continued the pursuit for several hours, 
 during which he continually ascended the mountain. 
 
 ** You must know, Philip, that there are peculiar spots 
 on those mountains which are supposed, and, as my story 
 will prove, truly supposed, to be inhabited by the evil 
 influences ; they are well known to the huntsmen, who 
 invariably avoid them. Now, one of these spots, an open 
 space in the pine forests above us, had been pointed out to 
 my father as dangerous on that account. But, whether he 
 disbelieved these wild stories, or whether, in his eager 
 pursuit of the chase, he disregarded them, I know not ; 
 certain, however, it is, that he was decoyed by the white 
 wolf to this open space, when the animal appeared to 
 slacken her speed. My father approached, came close up 
 to her, raised his gun to his shoulder, and was about to 
 fire ; when the wolf suddenly disappeared. He thought 
 that the snow on the ground must have dazzled his sight, 
 and he let down his gun to look for the beast — but she was 
 gone ; how she could have escaped over the clearance, 
 without his seeing her, was beyond his comprehension. 
 Mortified at the ill success of his chase, he was about to 
 retrace his steps, when he heard the distant sound of a horn. 
 Astonishment at such a sound — at such an hour — in such a 
 wilderness, made him forget for the moment his disappoint- 
 ment, and he remained riveted to the spot. In a minute 
 the horn was blown a second time, and at no great distance j 
 my father stood still, and listened : a third time it was 
 blown. I forget the term used to express it, but it was the 
 signal which, my father well knew, implied that the party 
 was lost in the woods. In a few minutes more my father 
 beheld a man on horseback, with a female seated on the 
 crupper, enter the cleared space, and ride up to him. At 
 first, my father called to mind the strange stories which he 
 had heard of the supernatural beings who were said to 
 frequent these mountains ; but the nearer approach of the 
 parties satisfied him that they were mortals like himself. 
 As soon as they came up to him, the man who guided the 
 horse accosted him. * Friend Hunter, you are out late, the 
 
The Phantom Ship ;^6;^ 
 
 better fortune for us : we have ridden far, and are in fear 
 of our lives, which are eagerly sought after. These 
 mountains have enabled us to elude our pursuers ; but if 
 we find not shelter and refreshment, that will avail us little, 
 as we must perish from hunger and the inclemency of the 
 night. My daughter, who rides behind me, is now more 
 dead than alive — say, can you assist us in our difficulty ? * 
 
 " * My cottage is some few miles distant,' replied my 
 father, ' but I have little to offer you besides a shelter from 
 the weather ; to the little I have you are welcome. May 
 I ask whence you come ? ' 
 
 " * Yes, friend, it is no secret now ; we have escaped 
 from Transylvania, where my daughter's honour and my 
 life were equally in jeopardy ! ' 
 
 " This information was quite enough to raise an interest 
 in my father's heart. He remembered his own escape : he 
 remembered the loss of his wife's honour, and the tragedy 
 by which it was wound up. He immediately, and warmly, 
 offered all the assistance which he could afford them. 
 
 ** * There is no time to be lost, then, good sir,' observed 
 the horseman j ' my daughter is chilled with the frost, and 
 cannot hold out much longer against the severity of the 
 weather.' 
 
 " * Follow me,' replied my father, leading the way towards 
 his home. 
 
 " * I was lured away in pursuit of a large white wolf,' 
 observed my father ; * it came to the very window of my 
 hut, or I should not have been out at this time of 
 night.' 
 
 " * The creature passed by us just as we came out of the 
 wood,' said the female in a silvery tone. 
 
 " * I was nearly discharging my piece at it,' observed the 
 hunter , * but since it did us such good service, I am glad 
 that I allowed it to escape.' 
 
 " In about an hour and a half, during which my father 
 walked at a rapid pace, the party arrived at the cottage, and, 
 as I said before, came in. 
 
 " * We are in good time, apparently,' observed the dark 
 
364 The Phantom Ship 
 
 hunter, catching the smell of the roasted meat, as he walked 
 to the fire and surveyed my brother and sister, and myself. 
 * You have young cooks here. Mynheer.' * I am glad that 
 we shall not have to wait,' replied my father. 'Come, 
 mistress, seat yourself by the fire ; you require warmth 
 after your cold ride.' * And where can I put up my horse. 
 Mynheer ? ' observed the huntsman.' * I will take care of 
 him,' replied my father, going out of the cottage door. 
 
 " The female must, however, be particularly described. 
 She was young, and apparently twenty years of age. She 
 was dressed in a travelling dress, deeply bordered with 
 white fur, and wore a cap of white ermine on her head. 
 Her features were very beautiful, at least I thought so, and 
 so my father has since declared. Her hair was flaxen, 
 glossy and shining, and bright as a mirror ; and her mouth, 
 although somewhat large when it was open, showed the 
 most brilliant teeth I have ever beheld. But there was 
 something about her eyes, bright as they were, which made 
 us children afraid ; they were so restless, so furtive ; I 
 could not at that time tell why, but I felt as if there was 
 cruelty in her eye ; and when she beckoned us to come to 
 her, we approached her with fear and trembling. Still 
 she was beautiful, very beautiful. She spoke kindly to 
 my brother and myself, patted our heads, and caressed us ; 
 but Marcella would not come near her ; on the contrary, 
 she slunk away, and hid herself in the bed, and would not 
 wait for the supper, v/hich half an hour before she had been 
 so anxious for. 
 
 " My father, having put the horse into a close shed, soon 
 returned, and supper was placed upon the table. When it 
 was over, my father requested that the young lady would 
 take possession of his bed, and he would remain at the fire, 
 and sit up with her father. After some hesitation on her 
 part, this arrangement was agreed to, and I and my 
 brother crept into the other bed with Marcella, for we 
 had as yet always slept together. 
 
 " But we could not sleep ; there was something so un- 
 usual, not only in seeing strange people, but in having those 
 
The Phantom Ship ^6^ 
 
 people sleep at the cottage, that we were bewildered. As 
 for poor little Marcella, she was quiet, but I perceived that 
 she trembled during the whole night, and sometimes I 
 thought that she was checking a sob. My father had 
 brought out some spirits, which he rarely used, and he and 
 the strange hunter remained drinking and talking before the 
 fire. Our ears were ready to catch the slightest whisper — 
 so much was our curiosity excited. 
 
 " ' You said you came from Transylvania ? ' observed my 
 father. 
 
 " * Even so. Mynheer,' replied the hunter. * I was a 
 
 serf to the noble house of ; my master would insist 
 
 upon my surrendering up my fair girl to his wishes ; 
 it ended in my giving him a few inches of my hunting- 
 knife.' 
 
 " * We are countrymen, and brothers in misfortune,' 
 replied my father, taking the huntsman's hand, and pressing 
 it warmly. 
 
 " * Indeed ! Are you, then, from that country ? ' 
 
 " ' Yes ; and I too have fled for my life. But mine is 
 a melancholy tale.* 
 
 ** ' Your name ? ' inquired the hunter. 
 
 " * Krantz.' 
 
 **'What! Krantz of- — —I have heard your tale, you 
 need not renew your grief by repeating it now. Welcome, 
 most welcome. Mynheer, and, I may say, my worthy 
 kinsman. I am your second cousin, Wilfred of Barns- 
 dorf,' cried the hunter, rising up and embracing my 
 father. 
 
 " They filled their horn mugs to the brim, and drank 
 to one another, after the German fashion. The conversa- 
 tion was then carried on in a low tone ; all that we could 
 collect from it was, that our new relative and his daughter 
 were to take up their abode in our cottage, at least for the 
 present. In about an hour they both fell back in their 
 chairs, and appeared to sleep. 
 
 " * Marcella, dear, did you hear ? ' said my brother in 
 a low tone. 
 
^66 The Phantom Ship 
 
 ** < Yes,' replied Marcella, in a whisper ; * I heard all. 
 Oh ! brother, I cannot bear to look upon that woman — 
 I feel so frightened.' 
 
 ** My brother made no reply, and shortly afterwards 
 we were all three fast asleep. 
 
 ** When we awoke the next morning, we found that 
 the hunter's daughter had risen before us. I thought 
 she looked more beautiful than ever. She came up to 
 little Marcella and caressed her ; the child burst into 
 tears, and sobbed as if her heart would break. 
 
 " But, not to detain you with too long a story, the 
 huntsman and his daughter were accommodated in the 
 cottage. My father and he went out hunting daily, 
 leaving Christina with us. She performed all the house- 
 hold duties ; was very kind to us children ; and, gradually, 
 the dislike even of little Marcella wore away. But a 
 great change took place in my father; he appeared to 
 have conquered his aversion to the sex, and was most 
 attentive to Christina. Often, after her father and we 
 were in bed, would he sit up with her, conversing in a 
 low tone by the fire. I ought to have mentioned, that 
 my father and the huntsman Wilfred, slept in another 
 portion of the cottage, and that the bed which he formerly 
 occupied, and which was in the same room as ours, had 
 been given up to the use of Christina. These visitors 
 had been about three weeks at the cottage, when, one 
 night, after we children had been sent to bed, a consulta- 
 tion was held. My father had asked Christina in marriage, 
 and had obtained both her own consent and that of 
 Wilfred ; after this a conversation took place, which was, 
 as nearly as I can recollect, as follows : — 
 
 *• * You may take my child. Mynheer Krantz, and my 
 blessing with her, and I shall then leave you and seek 
 some other habitation — it matters little where.' 
 
 " * Why not remain here, Wilfred ? ' 
 
 " * No, no, I am called elsewhere ; let that suffice, and 
 ask no more questions. You have my child.' 
 
 ** * I thank you for her, and will duly value her j but 
 there is one difficulty.' 
 
The Phantom Ship 367 
 
 " * I know what you would say ; there is no priest here 
 in this wild country : true ; neither is there any law to 
 bind ; still must some ceremony pass between you, to 
 satisfy a father. Will you consent to marry her after 
 my fashion ? if so, I will marry you directly.' 
 
 ** * I will,' replied my father. 
 
 " * Then take her by the hand. Now, Mynheer, swear.' 
 
 ** * I swear,' repeated my father. 
 
 ** *By all the spirits of the Hartz Mountains ' 
 
 " * Nay, why not by Heaven ? ' interrupted my father. 
 
 ** * Because it is not my humour,' rejoined Wilfred ; 
 * if I prefer that oath, less binding perhaps, than another, 
 surely you will not thwart me.* 
 
 " * Well, be it so then ; have your humour. Will you 
 make me swear by that in which I do not believe ? ' 
 
 ** * Yet many do so, who in outward appearance are 
 Christians,' rejoined Wilfred 5 * say, will you be married, 
 or shall I take my daughter away with me ? ' 
 
 " * Proceed,' replied my father, impatiently. 
 
 ** * I swear by all the spirits of the Hartz Mountains, 
 by all their power for good or for evil, that I take 
 Christina for my wedded wife ; that I will ever protect 
 her, cherish her, and love her ; that my hand shall never 
 be raised against her to harm her.' 
 
 " My father repeated the words after Wilfred. 
 
 ** * And if I fail in this my vow, may all the vengeance 
 of the spirits fall upon me and upon my children ; may 
 they perish by the vulture, by the wolf, or other beasts 
 of the forest ; may their flesh be torn from their limbs, 
 and their bones blanch in the wilderness 5 all this I 
 swear.' 
 
 " My father hesitated, as he repeated the last words ; 
 little Marcella could not restrain herself, and as my father 
 repeated the last sentence, she burst into tears. This 
 sudden interruption appeared to discompose the party, 
 particularly my father; he spoke harshly to the child, 
 who controlled her sobs, burying her face under the 
 bed-clothes. 
 
^68 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " Such was the second marriage of my father. The 
 next morning, the hunter "Wilfred mounted his horse, 
 and rode away. 
 
 *' My father resumed his bed, which was in the same 
 room as ours j and things went on much as before the 
 marriage, except that our new mother-in-law did not 
 show any kindness towards us ; indeed, during my 
 father's absence, she would often beat us, particularly 
 little Marcella, and her eyes would flash fire, as she 
 looked eagerly upon the fair and lovely child. 
 
 " One night, my sister awoke me and my brother. 
 
 ** * What is the matter ? ' said Caesar. 
 
 " * She has gone out,' whispered Marcella. 
 
 "'Gone out !' 
 
 " * Yes, gone out at the door, in her night-clothes,' 
 replied the child ; * I saw her get out of bed, look at my 
 father to see if he slept, and then she went out at the 
 door.' 
 
 " What could induce her to leave her bed, and all un- 
 dressed to go out, in such bitter wintry weather, with the 
 snow deep on the ground, was to us incomprehensibl*©; 
 we lay awake, and in about an hour we heard the growl of 
 a wolf, close under the window. 
 
 ** * There is a wolf,' said Caesar ; * she will be torn to 
 pieces.' 
 
 '* ' Oh, no ! ' cried Marcella. 
 
 ** In a few minutes afterwards our mother-in-law ap- 
 peared; she was in her night-dress, as Marcella had stated. 
 She let down the latch of the door, so as to make no noise, 
 went to a pail of water, and washed her face and hands, 
 and then slipped into the bed where my father lay. 
 
 " We all three trembled, we hardly knew why, but we 
 resolved to watch the next night : we did so — and not 
 only on the ensuing night, but on many others, and always 
 at about the same hour, would our mother-in-law rise 
 from her bed, and leave the cottage — and after she was 
 gone, we invariably heard the growl of a wolf under our 
 window, and always saw her, on her return, wash herself 
 
The Phantom Ship 369 
 
 before she retired to bed. We observed, also, that she 
 seldom sat down to meals, and that when she did, she 
 appeared to eat with dislike; but when the meat was taken 
 down, to be prepared for dinner, she would often furtively- 
 put a raw piece into her mouth. 
 
 " My brother Caesar was a courageous boy ; he did not 
 like to speak to my father until he knew more. He re- 
 solved that he would follow her out, and ascertain what 
 she did. Marcella and I endeavoured to dissuade him 
 from this project ; but he would not be controlled, and, 
 the very next night he lay down in his clothes, and as 
 soon as our mother-in-law had left the cottage, he jumped 
 up, took down my father's gun, and followed her. 
 
 " You may imagine in what a state of suspense Marcella 
 and I remained, during his absence. After a few minutes, 
 we heard the report of a gun. It did not awaken my 
 father, and we lay trembling with anxiety. In a minute 
 afterwards we saw our mother-in-law enter the cottage — 
 her dress was bloody. I put my hand to Marcella's mouth 
 to prevent her crying out, although I was myself in great 
 alarm. Our mother-in-law approached my father's bed, 
 looked to see if he was asleep, and then went to the 
 chimney, and blew up the embers into a blaze. 
 
 ** * Who is there ?' said my father, waking up. 
 
 " * Lie still, dearest,' replied my mother-in-law, * it is 
 only me ; I have lighted the fire to warm some water ; I 
 am not quite well.' 
 
 " My father turned round and was soon asleep ; but we 
 watched our mother-in-law. She changed her linen, and 
 threw the garments she had worn into the fire ; and we 
 then perceived that- her right leg was bleeding profusely, 
 as if from a gun-shot wound. She bandaged it up, and 
 then dressing herself, remained before the fire until the 
 break of day. 
 
 "Poor little Marcella, her heart beat quick as she 
 
 pressed me to her side — so indeed did mine. Where was 
 
 our brother, Caesar ? How did my mother-in-law receive 
 
 the wound unless from his gun ? At last my father rose, 
 
 p.s. 2 A 
 
370 The Phantom Ship 
 
 and then, for the first time I spoke, saying, * Father, where 
 is my brother, Caesar ? ' 
 
 ** * Your brother ! ' exclaimed he, * why, where can he 
 be?' 
 
 " * Merciful Heaven ! I thought as I lay very restless 
 last night,' observed our mother-in-law, * that I heard 
 somebody open the latch of the door 5 and, dear me, 
 husband, what has become of your gun ? ' 
 
 " My father cast his eyes up above the chimney, and 
 perceived that his gun was missing. For a moment he 
 looked perplexed, then seizing a broad axe, he went out 
 of the cottage without saying another word. 
 
 " He did not remain away from us long : in a few 
 minutes he returned, bearing in his arms the mangled body 
 of my poor brother ; he laid it down, and covered up his 
 face. 
 
 " My mother-in-law rose up, and looked at the body, 
 while Marcella and I threw ourselves by its side wailing 
 and sobbing bitterly. 
 
 ** * Go to bed again, children,' said she sharply. 
 * Husband,' continued she, * your boy must have taken the 
 gun down to shoot a wolf, and the animal has been too 
 powerful for him. Poor boy ! he has paid dearly for his 
 rashness.' 
 
 " My father made no reply ; I wished to speak — to tell 
 all — but Marcella, who perceived my intention, held me by 
 the arm, and looked at me so imploringly, that I desisted. 
 
 " My father, therefore, was left in his error ; but 
 Marcella and I, although we could not comprehend it, 
 were conscious that our mother-in-law was in some way 
 connected with my brother's death. 
 
 " That day my father went out and dug a grave, and 
 when he laid the body in the earth, he piled up stones over 
 it, so that the wolves should not be able to dig it up. 
 The shock of this catastrophe was to my poor father very 
 severe ; for several days he never went to the chase, 
 although at times he would utter bitter anathemas and 
 vengeance against the wolves. 
 
The Phantom Ship 371 
 
 " But during this time of mourning on his part, my 
 mother-in-law's nocturnal wanderings continued with the 
 same regularity as before. 
 
 " At last, my father took down his gun, to repair to the 
 forest ; but he soon returned, and appeared much annoyed. 
 
 ** * Would you believe it, Christina, that the wolves 
 — perdition to the whole race — have actually contrived 
 to dig up the body of my poor boy, and now there is 
 nothing left of him but his bones ? ' 
 
 ** * Indeed ! ' replied my mother-in-law. Marcella looked 
 at me, and I saw in her intelligent eye all she would have 
 uttered. 
 
 " * A wolf growls under our window every night, 
 father,' said I. 
 
 " * Aye, indeed ^ — why did you not tell me, boy ? — 
 wake me the next time you hear it.' 
 
 " I saw my mother-in-law turn away ; her eyes flashed 
 fire, and she gnashed her teeth. 
 
 "My father went out again, and covered up with a 
 larger pile of stones the little remnants of my poor 
 brother which the wolves had spared. Such was the 
 first act of the tragedy. 
 
 ** The spring now came on : the snow disappeared, 
 and we were permitted to leave the cottage ; but never 
 would I quit, for one moment, my dear little sister, to 
 whom, since the death of my brother, I was more ardently 
 attached than ever ; indeed I was afraid to leave her alone 
 with my mother-in-law, who appeared to have a particular 
 pleasure in ill-treating the child. My father was now 
 employed upon his little farm, and I was able to render 
 him some assistance. 
 
 ** Marcella used to sit by us while we were at work, 
 leaving my mother-in-law alone in the cottage. I ought 
 to observe that, as the spring advanced, so did my mother- 
 in-law decrease her nocturnal rambles, and that we never 
 heard the growl of the wolf under the window after I 
 had spoken of it to my father. 
 
 "One day, when my father and I were in the field. 
 
2p'2' The Phantom Ship 
 
 Marcella being with us, my mother-in-law came out, 
 saying that she was going into the forest, to collect some 
 herbs my father wanted, and that Marcella must go to 
 the cottage and watch the dinner. Marcella went, and 
 my mother-in-law soon disappeared in the forest, taking 
 a direction quite contrary to that in which the cottage 
 stood, and leaving my father and I, as it were, between 
 her and Marcella. 
 
 ** About an hour afterwards we were startled by 
 shrieks from the cottage, evidently the shrieks of little 
 Marcella. * Marcella has burnt herself, father,' said I, 
 throwing down my spade. My father threw down his, 
 and we both hastened to the cottage. Before we could 
 gain the door, out darted a large white wolf, which fled 
 with the utmost celerity. My father had no weapon ; 
 he rushed into the cottage, and there saw poor little 
 Marcella expiring: her body was dreadfully mangled, 
 and the blood pouring from it had formed a large pool 
 on the cottage floor. My father's first intention had been 
 to seize his gun and pursue, but he was checked by this 
 horrid spectacle 5 he knelt down by his dying child, and 
 burst into tears : Marcella could just look kindly on us 
 for a few seconds, and then her eyes were closed in 
 death. 
 
 **My father and I were still hanging over my poor 
 sister's body, when my mother-in-law came in. At the 
 dreadful sight she expressed much concern, but she did 
 not appear to recoil from the sight of blood, as most 
 women do. 
 
 " * Poor child ! ' said she, * it must have been that 
 great white wolf which passed me just now, and frightened 
 me so — she's quite dead, Krantz.' 
 
 " * I know it — I know it ! ' cried my father in agony. 
 
 **I thought my father would never recover from the 
 effects of this second tragedy : he mourned bitterly over 
 the body of his sweet child, and for several days would 
 not consign it to its grave, although frequently requested 
 by my mother-in-law to do so. At last he yielded, and 
 
The Phantom Ship 2>1Z 
 
 dug a grave for her close by that of my poor brother, 
 and took every precaution that the wolves should not 
 violate her remains. 
 
 " I was now really miserable, as I lay alone in the bed 
 which I had formerly shared with my brother and sister. 
 I could not help thinking that my mother-in-law was 
 implicated in both their deaths, although I could not 
 account for the manner ; but I no longer felt afraid of 
 her : my little heart was full of hatred and revenge. 
 
 "The night after my sister had been buried, as I lay 
 awake, I perceived my mother-in-law get up and go out 
 of the cottage. I waited some time, then dressed myself, 
 and looked out through the door, which I half opened. 
 The moon shone bright, and I could see the spot where 
 my brother and my sister had been buried ; and what 
 was my horror, when I perceived my mother-in-law 
 busily removing the stones from Marcella's grave. 
 
 ** She was in her white night-dress, and the moon shone 
 full upon her. She was digging with her hands, and 
 throwing away the stones behind her with all the ferocity 
 of a wild beast. It was some time before I could collect 
 my senses and decide what I should do. At last, I per- 
 ceived that she had arrived at the body, and raised it up to 
 the side of the grave. I could bear it no longer j I ran 
 to my father and awoke him. 
 
 ** * Father ! father ! ' cried I, * dress yourself, and get 
 your gun.' 
 
 " * What ! ' cried my father, * the wolves are there, are 
 they?' 
 
 **He jumped out of bed, threw on his clothes, and in 
 his anxiety did not appear to perceive the absence of his 
 wife. As soon as he was ready, I opened the door, he 
 went out, and I followed him. 
 
 *' Imagine his horror, when (unprepared as he was for 
 such a sight) he beheld, as he advanced towards the grave, 
 not a wolf, but his wife, in her night-dress, on her hands 
 and knees, crouching by the body of my sister, and tearing 
 off large pieces of the flesh, and devouring them with all the 
 
374 The Phantom Ship 
 
 avidity of a wolf. She was too busy to be aware of our 
 approach. My father dropped his gun, his hair stood on 
 end ; so did mine ; he breathed heavily, and then his 
 breath for a time stopped. I picked up the gun and put 
 it into his hand. Suddenly he appeared as if concentrated 
 rage had restored him to double vigour ; he levelled his 
 piece, fired, and with a loud shriek, down fell the wretch 
 whom he had fostered in his bosom. 
 
 ** * God of Heaven ! ' cried my father, sinking down 
 upon the earth in a swoon, as soon as he had discharged 
 his gun. 
 
 " I remained some time by his side before he recovered. 
 
 * Where am I ? ' said he, ' what has happened ? — Oh ! — 
 yes, yes ! I recollect now. Heaven forgive me ! ' 
 
 " He rose and we walked up to the grave ; what again 
 was our astonishment and horror to find that instead of the 
 dead body of my mother-in-law, as we expected, there 
 was lying over the remains of my poor sister, a large, 
 white she wolf. 
 
 " * The white wolf ! ' exclaimed my father, * the white 
 wolf which decoyed me into the forest — I see it all now — 
 I have dealt with the spirits of the Hartz Mountains.' 
 
 ** For some time my father remained in silence and deep 
 thought. He then carefully lifted up the body of my 
 sister, replaced it in the grave, and covered it over as 
 before, having struck the head of the dead animal with the 
 heel of his boot, and raving like a madman. He walked 
 back to the cottage, shut the door, and threw himself on 
 the bed ; I did the same, for I was in a stupor of amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 " Early in the morning we were both roused by a loud 
 knocking at the door, and in rushed the hunter Wilfred. 
 
 ** * My daughter ! — man — my daughter ! — where is my 
 daughter ! ' cried he in a rage. 
 
 " * Where the wretch, the fiend, should be, I trust,' 
 replied my father, starting up and displaying equal choler ; 
 
 * where she should be — in hell ! — Leave this cottage or 
 you may fare worse.' 
 
The Phantom Ship ^ys 
 
 (( c 
 
 Ha — ha I ' replied the hunter, * would you harm a 
 potent spirit of the Hartz Mountains. Poor mortal, who 
 must needs wed a weir wolf.* 
 
 " * Out demon ! I defy thee and thy power.' 
 
 " * Yet shall you feel it 5 remember your oath — your 
 solemn oath — never to raise your hand against her to harm 
 her.' 
 
 " ' I made no compact with evil spirits.' 
 
 ** * You did ; and if you failed in your vow, you were 
 to meet the vengeance of the spirits. Your children were 
 to perish by the vulture, the wolf * 
 
 " * Out, out, demon ! ' 
 
 " * And their bones blanch in the wilderness. Ha ! — 
 ha!' 
 
 " My father, frantic with rage, seized his axe, and 
 raised it over Wilfred's head to strike. 
 
 ** * All this I swear,' continued the huntsman, mockingly. 
 
 ** The axe descended ; but it passed through the form 
 of the hunter, and my father lost his balance, and fell 
 heavily on the floor. 
 
 " * Mortal ! ' said the hunter, striding over my father's 
 body, * we have power over those only who have com- 
 mitted murder. You have been guilty of a double 
 murder — you shall pay the penalty attached to your 
 marriage vow. Two of your children are gone ; the third 
 is yet to follow — and follow them he will, for your oath 
 is registered. Go — it were kindness to kill thee — your 
 punishment is — that you live ! ' 
 
 " "With these words the spirit disappeared. My father 
 rose from the floor, embraced me tenderly, and knelt 
 down in prayer. 
 
 "The next morning he quitted the cottage for ever. 
 He took me with him and bent his steps to Holland, where 
 we safely arrived. He had some little money with him j 
 but he had not been many days in Amsterdam before he 
 was seized with a brain fever, and died raving mad. I 
 was put into the Asylum, and afterwards was sent to sea 
 before the mast. You now know all my history. The 
 
^y6 The Phantom Ship 
 
 question is, whether I am to pay the penalty of my father's 
 oath ? I am myself perfectly convinced that, in some way 
 or another, I shall." 
 
 On the twenty-second day the high land of the south of 
 Sumatra was in view ; as there were no vessels in sight, 
 they resolved to keep their course through the Straits, and 
 run for Pulo Penang, which they expected, as their vessel 
 laid so close to the wind, to reach in seven or eight days. 
 By constant exposure, Philip and Krantz were now so 
 bronzed, that with their long beards and Mussulman 
 dresses, they might easily have passed off for natives. 
 They had steered during the whole of the days exposed to 
 a burning sun ; they had lain down and slept in the dew 
 of night, but their health had not suffered. But for 
 several days, since he had confided the history of his family 
 to Philip, Krantz had become silent and melancholy 5 his 
 usual flow of spirits had vanished, and Philip had often 
 questioned him as to the cause. As they entered the 
 Straits, Philip talked of what they should do upon their 
 arrival at Goa. When Krantz gravely replied, " For 
 some days, Philip, I have had a presentiment that I shall 
 never see that city." 
 
 " You are out of health, Krantz," replied Philip. 
 
 " No ; I am in sound health, body and mind. I have 
 endeavoured to shake off the presentiment, but in vain ; 
 there is a warning voice that continually tells me that I 
 shall not be long with you. Philip, will you oblige me by 
 making me content on one point : I have gold about my 
 person which may be useful to you 5 oblige me by taking 
 it, and securing it on your own." 
 
 " What nonsense, Krantz." 
 
 "It is no nonsense, Philip. Have you not had your 
 warnings ? Why should I not have mine ? You know 
 that I have little fear in my composition, and that I care 
 not about death ; but I feel the presentiment which I speak 
 of more strongly every hour. It is some kind spirit who 
 would warn me to prepare for another world. Be it so. 
 I have lived long enough in this world to leave it without 
 
The Phantom Ship ^H"] 
 
 regret 5 although to part with you and Amine, the only 
 two now dear to me, is painful, I acknowledge." 
 
 " May not this arise from over-exertion and fatigue, 
 Krantz ? consider how much excitement you have laboured 
 under within these last four months. Is not that enough 
 to create a corresponding depression ? Depend upon it, 
 my dear friend, such is the fact." 
 
 " I wish it were — but I feel otherwise, and there is a 
 feeling of gladness connected with the idea that I am to 
 leave this world, arising from another presentiment, which 
 equally occupies my mind." 
 
 "Which is?" 
 
 " I hardly can tell you 5 but Amine and you are con- 
 nected with it. In my dreams I have seen you meet again ; 
 but it has appeared to me, as if a portion of your trial was 
 purposely shut from my sight in dark clouds ; and I have 
 asked, * May not I see what is there concealed ? ' — and an 
 invisible has answered, * No ! 'twould make you wretched. 
 Before these trials take place, you will be summoned away ' 
 — and then I have thanked Heaven, and felt resigned." 
 
 " These are the imaginings of a disturbed brain, Krantz ; 
 that I am destined to suffering may be true ; but why 
 Amine should suffer, or why you, young, in full health 
 and vigour, should not pass your days in peace, and live to 
 a good old age, there is no cause for believing. You will 
 be better to-morrow." 
 
 ** Perhaps so," replied Krantz ; — " but still you must 
 yield to my whim, and take the gold. If I am wrong, and 
 we do arrive safe, you know, Philip, you can let me have 
 it back," observed Krantz, with a faint smile — " but you 
 forget, our water is nearly out, and we must look out for 
 a rill on the coast to obtain a fresh supply." 
 
 ** I was thinking of that when you commenced this un- 
 welcome topic. We had better look out for the water 
 before dark, and as soon as we have replenished our jars, 
 we will make sail again." 
 
 At the time that this conversation took place, they were 
 on the eastern side of the Strait, about forty miles to the 
 
378 The Phantom Ship 
 
 northward. The interior of the coast was rocky and 
 mountainous, but it slowly descended to low land of 
 alternate forest and jungles, which continued to the beach : 
 the country appeared to be uninhabited. Keeping close in 
 to the shore, they discovered, after two hours' run, a fresh 
 stream which burst in a cascade from the mountains, and 
 swept its devious course through the jungle, until it poured 
 its tribute into the waters of the Strait. 
 
 They ran close in to the mouth of the stream, lowered 
 the sails, and pulled the peroqua against the current, until 
 they had advanced far enough to assure them that the 
 water was quite fresh. The jars were soon filled, and 
 they were again thinking of pushing off; when, enticed by 
 the beauty of the spot, the coolness of the fresh water, 
 and wearied with their long confinement on board of the 
 peroqua, they proposed to bathe — a luxury hardly to be 
 appreciated by those who have not been in a similar 
 situation. They threw off their Mussulman dresses, and 
 plunged into the stream, where they remained for some 
 time. Krantz was the first to get out ; he complained of 
 feeling chilled, and he walked on to the banks where their 
 clothes had been laid. Philip also approached nearer to 
 the beach, intending to follow him. 
 
 " And now, Philip," said Krantz, " this will be a good 
 opportunity for me to give you the money. I will open 
 my sash, and pour it out, and you can put it into your own 
 before you put it on." 
 
 Philip was standing in the water, which was about level 
 with his waist. 
 
 ** Well, Krantz," said he, " I suppose if it must be so, 
 it must ; but it appears to me an idea so ridiculous — how- 
 ever, you shall have your own way." 
 
 Philip quitted the run, and sat down by Krantz, who 
 was already busy in shaking the doubloons out of the 
 folds of his sash ; at last he said — 
 
 *'I believe, Philip, you have got them all, now ? — I feel 
 satisfied." 
 
 "What danger there can be to you, which I am not 
 
The Phantom Ship 379 
 
 equally exposed to, I cannot conceive," replied Philip ; 
 " however " 
 
 Hardly had he said these words, when there was a 
 tremendous roar — a rush like a mighty wind through the 
 air — a blow which threw him on his back — a loud cry — 
 and a contention. Philip recovered himself, and perceived 
 the naked form of Krantz carried off with the speed of 
 an arrow by an enormous tiger through the jungle. He 
 watched with distended eyeballs ; in a few seconds the 
 animal and Krantz had disappeared ! 
 
 *• God of Heaven ! would that Thou hadst spared me 
 this," cried Philip, throwing himself down in agony on 
 his face. " Oh ! Krantz, my friend — my brother — too 
 sure was your presentiment. Merciful God ! have pity — 
 but Thy will be done ; " and Philip burst into a flood of 
 tears. 
 
 For more than an hour did he remain fixed upon the 
 spot, careless and indifferent to the danger by which he 
 was surrounded. At last, somewhat recovered, he rose, 
 dressed himself, and then again sat down — his eyes fixed 
 upon the clothes of Krantz, and the gold which still lay 
 on the sand. 
 
 ** He would give me that gold. He foretold his doom. 
 Yes ! yes ! it was his destiny, and it has been fulfilled. 
 His bones will bleach in the wilderness, and the spirit-hunter 
 and his wolfish daughter are avenged." 
 
 The shades of evening now set in, and the low growling 
 of the beasts of the forest recalled Philip to a sense of his 
 own danger. He thought of Amine ; and hastily making 
 the clothes of Krantz and the doubloons into a package, 
 he stepped into the peroqua, with difficulty shoved it off, 
 and with a melancholy heart, and in silence, hoisted the 
 sail, and pursued his course. 
 
 " Yes, Amine," thought Philip, as he watched the stars 
 twinkling and corruscating. " Yes, you are right, when 
 you assert that the destinies of men are foreknown, and 
 may by some be read. My destiny is, alas ! that I should 
 be severed from ail I value upon earth, and die friendless 
 
380 The Phantom Ship 
 
 and alone. Then welcome death, if such is to be the 
 case ; welcome a thousand welcomes ! what a relief wilt 
 thou be to me ! what joy to find myself summoned to 
 where the weary are at rest ! I have my task to fulfil. 
 God grant that it may soon be accomplished, and let not 
 my life be embittered by any more trials such as this." 
 
 Again did Philip weep, for Krantz had been his long- 
 tried, valued friend, his partner in all his dangers and 
 privations, from the period that they had met when the 
 Dutch fleet attempted the passage round Cape Horn. 
 
 After seven days of painful watching and brooding over 
 bitter thoughts, Philip arrived at Pulo Penang, where he 
 found a vessel about to sail for the city to which he was 
 destined. He ran his peroqua alongside of her, and found 
 that she was a brig under the Portuguese flag, having, 
 however, but two Portuguese on board, the rest of the 
 crew being natives. Representing himself as an English- 
 man in the Portuguese service, who had been wrecked, 
 and offering to pay for his passage, he was willingly 
 received, and in a few days the vessel sailed. 
 
 Their voyage was prosperous; in six weeks they 
 anchored in the roads of Goa ; the next day they went 
 up the river. The Portuguese captain informed Philip 
 where he might obtain lodging ; and passing him off as 
 one of his crew, there was no difficulty raised as to his 
 landing. Having located himself at his new lodging, 
 Philip commenced some inquiries of his host relative to 
 Amine, designating her merely as a young woman who had 
 arrived there in a vessel some weeks before ; but he could 
 obtain no information concerning her. ** Signor," said the 
 host, "to-morrow is the grand Auto da Fe ; we can do 
 nothing until that is over ; afterwards, I will put you in 
 the way to find out what you wish. In the meantime, 
 you can walk about the town ; to-morrow I will take you 
 to where you can behold the grand procession, and then 
 we will try what we can do to assist you in your search." 
 
 Philip went out, procured a suit of clothes, removed 
 his beard, and then walked about the town, looking up 
 
The Phantom Ship 381 
 
 at every window to see if he could perceive Amine. At 
 a corner of one of the streets, he thought he recognised 
 Father Mathias, and ran up to him ; but the monk had 
 drawn his cowl over his head, and when addressed by 
 that name, made no reply. 
 
 "I was deceived," thought Philip; "but I really 
 thought it was him." And Philip was right; it was 
 Father Mathias, who thus screened himself from Philip's 
 recognition. 
 
 Tired, at last he returned to his hotel, just before it 
 was dark. The company there were numerous ; every- 
 body for miles distant had come to Goa to witness the 
 Auto da Fe, — and everybody was discussing the ceremony. 
 
 " I will see this grand procession," said Philip to him- 
 self, as he threw himself on his bed. " It will drive 
 thought from me for a time, and God knows how painful 
 my thoughts have now become. Amine, dear Amine, 
 may angels guard thee ! " 
 
 Chapter XL 
 
 Although to-morrow was to end all Amine's hopes and 
 fears — all her short happiness — her suspense and misery — 
 yet Amine slept until her last slumber in this world was 
 disturbed by the unlocking and unbarring of the doors of 
 her c^U, and the appearance of the head jailor with a light. 
 Amine started up — she had been dreaming of her husband 
 — of happiness ! She awoke to the sad reality. There 
 stood the jailor, with a dress in his hand, which he desired 
 she would put on. He lighted a lamp for her, and left 
 her alone. The dress was of black serge, with white 
 stripes. 
 
 Amine put on the dress, and threw herself down on the 
 bed, trying if possible to recall the dream from which she 
 had been awakened, but in vain. Two hours passed away, 
 and the jailor again entered, and summoned her to follow 
 
382 The Phantom Ship 
 
 him. Perhaps one of the most appalling customs of the 
 Inquisition is, that after accusation, whether the accused 
 parties confess their guilt or not, they return to their 
 dungeons, without the least idea of what may have been 
 their sentence, and when summoned on the morning of the 
 execution they are equally kept in ignorance. 
 
 The prisoners were all summoned by the jailors, from 
 the various dungeons, and led into a large hall, where 
 they found their fellow-sufferers collected. 
 
 In this spacious, dimly lighted hall were to be seen 
 about two hundred men, standing up as if for support, 
 against the walls, all dressed in the same black and white 
 serge ; so motionless, so terrified were they, that if it had 
 not been for the rolling of their eyes, as they watched 
 the jailors, who passed and repassed, you might have 
 imagined them to be petrified. It was the agony of 
 suspense, worse than the agony of death. After a time, a 
 wax candle, about five feet long, was put into the hands 
 of each prisoner, and then some were ordered to put on 
 over their dress the Sanbenitos — others the Samarias ! 
 Those who received these dresses, with flames painted 
 on them, gave themselves up for lost ; and it was dreadful 
 to perceive the anguish of each individual as the dresses 
 were one by one brought forward, and with the heavy 
 drops of perspiration on his brows, he watched with terror 
 lest one should be presented to him. All was doubt, fear, 
 and horror ! 
 
 But the prisoners in this haJl were not those who were 
 to suffer death. Those who wore the Sanbenitos had to 
 walk in the procession and receive but slight punishment j 
 those who wore the Samarias had been condemned, but 
 had been saved from the consuming fire, by an acknowledg- 
 ment of their offence ; the flames painted on their dresses 
 were reversed^ and signified that they were not to suffer ; 
 but this the unfortunate wretches did not know, and the 
 horrors of a cruel death stared them in the face ! 
 
 Another hall, similar to the one in which the men had 
 been collected, was occupied by female culprits. The 
 
The Phantom Ship ^S^ 
 
 same ceremonies were observed — the same doubt, fear, and 
 agony were depicted upon every countenance. But there 
 was a third chamber, smaller than the other two, and this 
 chamber was reserved for those who had been sentenced, 
 and who were to suffer at the stake. It was into this 
 chamber that Amine was led, and there she found seven 
 other prisoners dressed in the same manner as herself : two 
 only were Europeans, the other five were negro slaves. 
 Each of these had their confessor with them, and were 
 earnestly listening to his exhortation. A monk approached 
 Amine, but she waved him away with her hand : he looked 
 at her, spat on the floor, and cursed her. The head jailor 
 now made his appearance with the dresses for those who 
 were in this chamber ; these were Samarias, only different 
 from the others, inasmuch as the flames were painted on 
 them upwards instead of down. These dresses were of 
 grey stuff, and loose, like a waggoner's frock 5 at the 
 lower part of them, both before and behind, was painted 
 the likeness of the wearer, that is, the face only, resting 
 upon a burning faggot, and surrounded with flames and 
 demons. Under the portrait was written the crime for 
 which the party suffered. Sugar-loaf caps, with flames 
 painted on them, were also brought and put on their heads, 
 and the long wax candles were placed into their hands. 
 
 Amine and the others condemned being arrayed in these 
 dresses, remained in the chambers, for some hours before 
 it was time for the procession to commence, for they had 
 been all summoned up by the jailors at about two o'clock 
 in the morning. 
 
 The sun rose brilliantly, much to the joy of the members 
 of the Holy Office, who would not have had the day 
 obscured on which they were to vindicate the honour of 
 the church, and prove how well they acted up to the mild 
 doctrines of the Saviour — those of charity, good -will, 
 forbearing one another, forgiving one another. God of 
 Heaven ! And not only did those of the Holy Inquisition 
 rejoice, but thousands and thousands more who had 
 flocked from all parts to witness the dreadful ceremony, 
 
384 The Phantom Ship 
 
 and to hold a jubilee — many indeed actuated by fanaticism^ 
 superstition, but more attended from thoughtlessness and 
 the love of pageantry. The streets and squares through 
 which the procession was to pass were filled at an early 
 hour. Silks, tapestries, and cloth of gold and silver were 
 hung over the balconies, and out of the windows, in 
 honour of the procession. Every balcony and window 
 was thronged with ladies and cavaliers in their gayest 
 attire, all waiting anxiously to see the wretches paraded 
 before they suffered ; but the world is fond of excitement,^ 
 and where is anything so exciting to a superstitious people 
 as an Auto da Fe'^ 
 
 As the sun rose, the heavy bell of the Cathedral tolled, 
 and all the prisoners were led down to the Grand Hall, 
 that the order of the procession might be arranged. At 
 the large entrance door, on a raised throne, sat the Grand 
 Inquisitor, encircled by many of the most considerable 
 nobility and gentry of Goa. By the Grand Inquisitor 
 stood his Secretary, and as the prisoners walked past the 
 throne, and their names were mentioned, the Secretary, 
 after each, called out the names of one of those gentlemen, 
 who immediately stepped forward, and took his station by 
 the prisoner. These people are termed the godfathers ; 
 their duty is to accompany and be answerable for the 
 prisoner, who is under their charge, until the ceremony is 
 over. It is reckoned a high honour conferred on those 
 whom the Grand Inquisitor appoints to this office. 
 
 At last the procession commenced. First was raised on 
 high the standard of the Dominican Order of Monks, for 
 the Dominican Order were the founders of the Inquisition, 
 and claimed this privilege, by prescriptive right. After 
 the banner the monks themselves followed, in two lines. 
 And what was the motto of their banner? "Justitia et 
 Misericordia ! " Then followed the culprits, to the 
 number of three hundred, each with his godfather by 
 his side, and his large wax candle lighted in his hand. 
 Those whose offences have been most venial walk first ; 
 all are bareheaded, and barefooted. After this portion. 
 
The Phantom Ship 385 
 
 who wore only the dress of black and white serge, came 
 those who carried the Sanbenitos ; then those who wore 
 the Samarias, with the flames reversed. Here there was a 
 separation in the procession, caused by a large cross, with 
 the carved image of Our Saviour nailed to it, the face of 
 the image carried forward. This was intended to signify, 
 that those in advance of the Crucifix, and upon whom the 
 Saviour looked down, were not to suffer ; and that those 
 who were behind, and upon whom his back was turned, 
 were cast away, to perish for ever in this world, and the 
 next. Behind the Crucifix followed the seven condemned ; 
 and, as the greatest criminal. Amine walked the last. But 
 the procession did not close here. Behind Amine were 
 five effigies, raised high on poles, clothed in the same 
 dresses, painted with flames and demons. Behind each 
 effigy was borne a coffin, containing a skeleton ; the 
 effigies were of those who had died in their dungeon, or 
 expired under the torture, and who had been tried and 
 c<)ndemned after their death, and sentenced to be burnt. 
 These skeletons had been dug up, and were to suffer the 
 same sentence as, had they still been living beings, they 
 would have undergone. The effigies were to be tied to 
 the stakes, and the bones were to be consumed. Then 
 followed the members of the Inquisition ; the familiars, 
 monks, priests, and hundreds of penitents, in black 
 dresses, which concealed their faces, all with the lighted 
 tapers in their hands. 
 
 It was two hours before the procession, which had 
 paraded through almost every important street in Goa, 
 arrived at the Cathedral in which the further ceremonies 
 were to be gone through. The barefooted culprits could 
 now scarcely walk, the small sharp flints having so wounded 
 their feet, that their tracks up the steps of the Cathedral 
 were marked with blood. 
 
 The grand altar of the Cathedral was hung with black 
 
 cloth, and lighted up with thousands of tapers. On one 
 
 side of it was a throne for the Grand Inquisitor, on the 
 
 other, a raised platform for the Viceroy of Goa, and his 
 
 p.s. 2 B 
 
386 The Phantom Ship 
 
 suite. The centre aisle had benches for the prisoners, and 
 their godfathers ; the other portions of the procession 
 falling off to the right and left, to the side aisles, and 
 mixing for the time with the spectators. As the prisoners 
 entered the Cathedral, they were led into their seats, those 
 least guilty sitting nearest to the altar, and those who were 
 condemned to suffer at the stake being placed the farthest 
 from it. 
 
 The bleeding Amine tottered to her seat, and longed 
 for the hour which was to sever her from a Christian 
 world. She thought not of herself, nor of what she was 
 to suffer ; she thought but of Philip ; of his being safe 
 from these merciless creatures — of the happiness of dying 
 first, and of meeting him again in bliss. 
 
 "Worn with long confinement, with suspense and anxiety, 
 fatigued and suffering from her painful walk, and the 
 exposure to the burning sun, after so many months' 
 incarceration in a dungeon, she no longer shone radiant 
 with beauty; but still there was something even more 
 touching in her care-worn, yet still perfect features. The 
 object of universal gaze, she had walked with her eyes 
 cast down, and nearly closed ; but occasionally, when she 
 did look up, the fire that flashed from them spoke the 
 proud soul within, and many feared and wondered, while 
 more pitied that one so young, and still so lovely, should 
 be doomed to such an awful fate. Amine had not taken 
 her seat in the Cathedral more than a few seconds, when, 
 overpowered by her feelings and by fatigue, she fell back 
 in a swoon. 
 
 Did no one step forward to assist her ? to raise her up, 
 and offer her restoratives ? No — not one. Hundreds 
 would have done so, but they dared not : she was an out- 
 cast, excommunicated, abandoned, and lost ; and should 
 any one, moved by compassion for a suffering fellow- 
 creature, have ventured to raise her up, he would have 
 been looked upon with suspicion, and most probably have 
 been arraigned, and have had to settle the affair of 
 conscience with the Holy Inquisition. 
 
The Phantom Ship 387 
 
 After a short time two of the officers of the Inquisition 
 went to Amine and raised her again in her seat, and 
 she recovered sufficiently to enable her to retain her 
 posture. 
 
 A sermon was then preached by a Dominican monk, in 
 which he pourtrayed the tender mercies, the paternal love 
 of the Holy Office. He compared the Inquisition to the 
 ark of Noah, out of which all the animals walked after the 
 deluge ; but with this difference, highly in favour of the 
 Holy Office, that the animals went forth from the ark no 
 better than they went in, whereas those who had gone into 
 the Inquisition with all the cruelty of disposition, and 
 with the hearts of wolves, came out as mild and patient 
 as lambs. 
 
 The public accuser then mounted the pulpit, and read 
 from it all the crimes of those who had been condemned, 
 and the punishments which they were to undergo. Each 
 prisoner, as the sentence was read, was brought forward 
 to the pulpit by the officers, to hear their sentence, 
 standing up, with their wax candles lighted in their hands. 
 As soon as the sentences of all those whose lives had been 
 spared were read, the Grand Inquisitor put on his priestly 
 robes and, followed by several others, took off from them 
 the ban of excommunication (which they were supposed 
 to have fallen under), by throwing holy water on them 
 with a small broom. 
 
 As soon as this portion of the ceremony was over, 
 those who were condemned to suffer, and the effigies of 
 those who had escaped by death, were brought up one by 
 one, and their sentences read ; the winding up of the 
 condemnation of all was in the same words, " that the 
 Holy Inquisition found it impossible on account of the 
 hardness of their hearts and the magnitude of their crimes, 
 to pardon them. With great concern it handed them over 
 to Secular Justice to undergo the penalty of the laws ; 
 exhorting the authorities at the same time to show clemency 
 and mercy towards the unhappy wretches, and if they 
 must suffer death, that at all events it might be without 
 
388 The Phantom Ship 
 
 the spilling of bloods What mockery was this apparent 
 intercession, not to shed blood, when to comply with their 
 request, they substituted the torment and the agony 
 of the stake ! 
 
 Amine was the last who was led forward to the pulpit, 
 which was fixed against one of the massive columns of the 
 centre aisle, close to the throne occupied by the Grand 
 Inquisitor. " You, Amine Vanderdecken," cried the 
 public accuser. At this moment an unusual bustle was 
 heard in the crowd under the pulpit, there was struggling 
 and expostulation, and the officers raised their wands for 
 silence and decorum — but it continued. 
 
 ** You, Amine Vanderdecken, being accused " 
 
 Another violent struggle ; and from the crowd darted a 
 young man, who rushed to where Amine was standing, 
 and caught her in his arms. 
 
 "PhiHp! Philip!" screamed Amine, falling on his 
 bosom ; as he caught her, the cap of flames fell off her 
 head and rolled along the marble pavement. " My Amine 
 — my wife — my adored one — is it thus we meet ? My 
 lord, she is innocent. Stand off, men," continued he to the 
 officers of the Inquisition, who would have torn them 
 asunder. " Stand off, or your lives shall answer for it." 
 
 This threat to the officers, and the defiance of all rules, 
 were not to be borne ; the whole Cathedral was in a state 
 of commotion, and the solemnity of the ceremony was 
 about to be compromised. The Viceroy and his followers 
 had risen from their chairs to observe what was passing, 
 and the crowd was pressing on, when the Grand Inquisitor 
 gave his directions, and other officers hastened to the 
 assistance of the two who had led Amine forward, and 
 proceeded to disengage her from Philip's arms. The 
 struggle was severe. Philip appeared to be endued with 
 the strength of twenty men ; and it was some minutes 
 before they could succeed in separating him, and when 
 they had so done, his struggles were dreadful. 
 
 Amine, also, held by two of the familiars, shrieked, 
 as she attempted once more, but in vain, to rush into her 
 
The Phantom Ship 389 
 
 husband's arms. At last, by a tremendous effort, Philip 
 released himself, but as soon as he was released, he sank 
 down helpless on the pavement j the exertion had caused 
 the bursting of a blood-vessel, and he lay without motion. 
 
 " Oh God ! Oh God ! they have killed him — monsters 
 — murderers — let me embrace him but once more," cried 
 Amine, frantically. 
 
 A priest now stepped forward — it was Father Mathias 
 — with sorrow in his countenance; he desired some of 
 the bystanders to carry out Philip Vanderdecken, and 
 Philip, in a state of insensibility, was borne away from 
 the sight of Amine, the blood streaming from his mouth. 
 
 Amine's sentence was read — she heard it not, her 
 brain was bewildered. She was led back to her seat, and 
 then it was that all her courage, all her constancy and 
 fortitude gave way ; and during the remainder of the 
 ceremony, she filled the Cathedral with her wild hysterical 
 sobbing ; all entreaties or threats being wholly lost upon 
 her. 
 
 All was now over, except the last and most tragical 
 scene of the drama. The culprits who had been spared 
 were led back to the Inquisition by their godfathers, and 
 those who had been sentenced were taken down to the 
 banks of the river to suffer. It was on a large open 
 space, on the left of the Custom-house, that this ceremony 
 was to be gone through. As in the Cathedral, raised 
 thrones were prepared for the Grand Inquisitor and the 
 Viceroy, who, in state, headed the procession, followed 
 by an immense concourse of people. Thirteen stakes 
 had been set up, eight for the living, five for the dead. 
 The executioners were sitting on, or standing by, the 
 piles of wood and faggots, waiting for their victims. 
 Amine could not walk ; she was at first supported by the 
 familiars, and then carried by them, to the stake which 
 had been assigned for her. When they put her on her 
 feet opposite to it, her courage appeared to revive, 
 she walked boldly up, folded her arms, and leant 
 against it. 
 
390 The Phantom Ship 
 
 The executioners now commenced their office: the 
 chains were passed round Amine's body — the wood and 
 faggots piled around her. The same preparations had 
 been made with all the other culprits, and the confessors 
 stood by the side of each victim. Amine waved her 
 hand indignantly to those who approached her, when 
 Father Mathias, almost breathless, made his appearance 
 from the crowd, through which he had forced his way. 
 
 "Amine Vanderdecken — unhappy woman! had you 
 been counselled by me this would not have been. Now 
 it is too late, but not too late to save your soul. Away 
 then with this obstinacy — this hardness of heart ; call 
 upon the blessed Saviour, that He may receive your spirit 
 — call upon His wounds for mercy. It is the eleventh 
 hour, but not too late. Amine," continued the old man, 
 with tears, " I implore, I conjure you. At least, may this 
 load of trouble be taken from my heart." 
 
 " * Unhappy woman ! ' you say ? " replied she, " say 
 rather, * unhappy priest : ' for Amine's sufferings wiJl soon 
 be over, while you must still endure the torments of the 
 damned. Unhappy was the day when my husband rescued 
 you from death. Still more unhappy the compassion 
 which prompted him to offer you an asylum and a refuge. 
 Unhappy the knowledge of you from the first day to the 
 last. I leave you to your conscience — if conscience you 
 retain — nor would I change this cruel death for the pangs 
 which you in your future life will suffer. Leave me — 
 1 die in the faith of my forefathers^ and scorn a creed that 
 warrants such a scene as this." 
 
 " Amine Vanderdecken," cried the priest on his knees, 
 clasping his hands in agony. 
 
 ** Leave me, Father." 
 
 " There is but a minute left — for the love of God " 
 
 " I tell you then, leave me — that minute is my own." 
 
 Father Mathias turned away in despair, and the tears 
 coursed down the old man's cheeks. As Amine said, his 
 misery was extreme. 
 
 The head executioner now inquired of the confessors 
 
The Phantom Ship 391 
 
 whether the culprits died in the true faith ? If answered 
 in the affirmative, a rope was passed round their necks 
 and twisted to the stake, so that they were strangled 
 before the fire was kindled. All the other culprits had 
 died in this manner; and the head executioner inquired 
 of Father Mathias, whether Amine had a claim to so 
 much mercy. The old priest answered not, but shook 
 his head. 
 
 The executioner turned away. After a moment's 
 pause, Father Mathias followed him, and seized him by 
 the arm, saying, in a faltering voice, " Let her not suifer 
 long." 
 
 The Grand Inquisitor gave the signal, and the fires 
 were all lighted at the same moment. In compliance with 
 the request of the priest, the executioner had thrown a 
 quantity of wet straw upon Amine's pile, which threw up 
 a dense smoke before it burnt into flames. 
 
 " Mother ! mother ! I come to thee ! " were the last 
 words heard from Amine's lips. 
 
 The flames soon raged furiously, ascending high above 
 the top of the stake to which she had been chained. 
 Gradually they sunk down ; and only when the burning 
 embers covered the ground, a few fragments of bones 
 hanging on the chain were all that remained of the once 
 peerless and high-minded Amine. 
 
 Chapter XLI 
 
 Years have passed away since we related Amine's 
 sufferings and cruel death ; and now once more we bring 
 Philip Vanderdecken on the scene. And during this time, 
 where has he been ? A lunatic — at one time frantic, 
 chained, coerced with blows ; at others, mild and peaceable. 
 Reason occasionally appeared to burst out again, as the sun 
 on a cloudy day, and then it was again obscured. For 
 many years there was one who watched him carefully, and 
 
392 The Phantom Ship 
 
 lived in hope to witness his return to a sane mind ; he 
 watched in sorrow and remorse, — he died without his 
 desires being gratified. This was Father Mathias ! 
 
 The cottage at Terneuse had long fallen into ruin ; for 
 many years it waited the return of its owners, and at last the 
 heirs-at-law claimed and recovered the substance of Philip 
 Vanderdecken. Even the fate of Amine had passed from 
 the recollection of most people ; although her portrait, over 
 burning coals, with her crime announced beneath it, still 
 hangs — as is the custom in the church of the Inquisition — 
 attracting, from its expressive beauty, the attention of the 
 most careless passers-by. 
 
 But many, many years have rolled away — Philip's hair is 
 white — his once-powerful frame is broken down — and he 
 appears much older than he really is. He is now sane ; 
 but his vigour is gone. Weary of life, all he wishes for 
 is to execute his mission — and then to welcome death. 
 
 The relic has never been taken from him : he has been 
 discharged from the lunatic asylum, and has been provided 
 with the means of returning to his country. Alas ! he has 
 now no country — no home — nothing in the world to induce 
 him to remain in it. All he asks is — to do his duty and to 
 die. 
 
 The ship was ready to sail for Europe ; and Philip 
 Vanderdecken went on board — hardly caring whither he 
 went. To return to Terneuse was not his object ; he 
 could not bear the idea of revisiting the scene of so much 
 happiness and so much misery. Amine's form was engraven 
 on his heart, and he looked forward with impatience to 
 the time when he should be summoned to join her in the 
 land of spirits. 
 
 He had awakened as from a dream, after so many 
 years of aberration of intellect. He was no longer the 
 sincere Catholic that he had been ; for he never thought of 
 religion without his Amine's cruel fate being brought to 
 his recollection. Still he clung on to the relic — he believed 
 in that — and that only. It was his god — his creed — his 
 everything — the passport for himself and for his father 
 
The Phantom Ship 393 
 
 into the next world — the means whereby he should join 
 his Amine — and for hours would he remain holding in his 
 hand that object so valued — gazing upon it — recalling every 
 important event in his life, from the death of his poor 
 mother, and his first sight of Amine ; to the last dreadful 
 scene. It was to him a journal of his existence, and on it 
 were fixed all his hopes for the future. 
 
 "When! oh when is it to be accomplished!" was the 
 constant subject of his reveries. " Blessed, indeed, will be 
 the day when I leave this world of hate, and seek that 
 other in which * the weary are at rest.' " 
 
 The vessel on board of which Philip was embarked as a 
 passenger was the Nostra Sefiora da Monte, a brig of three 
 hundred tons, bound for Lisbon. The captain was an old 
 Portuguese, full of superstition, and fond of arrack — a 
 fondness rather unusual with the people of his nation. 
 They sailed from Goa, and Philip was standing abaft, and 
 sadly contemplating the spire of the Cathedral, in which he 
 had last parted with his wife, when his elbow was touched, 
 and he turned round. 
 
 ** Fellow-passenger, again 1 " said a well-known voice — 
 it was that of the pilot Schriften. 
 
 There was no alteration in the man's appearance j he 
 showed no marks of declining years ; his one eye glared as 
 keenly as ever. 
 
 Philip started, not only at the sight of the man, but at 
 the reminiscences which his unexpected appearance brought 
 to his mind. It was but for a second, and he was again 
 calm and pensive. 
 
 "You here again, Schriften.?" observed Philip, s ** I 
 trust your appearance forebodes the accomplishment of my 
 task." 
 
 " Perhaps it does," replied the pilot ; " we both are 
 weary." 
 
 Philip made no reply ; he did not even ask Schriften in 
 what manner he had escaped from the fort ; he was 
 indifferent about it -, for he felt that the man had a charmed 
 life. 
 
394 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " Many are the vessels that have been wrecked, Philip 
 Vanderdecken, and many the souls summoned to their 
 account by meeting with your father's ship, while you have 
 been so long shut up," observed the pilot. 
 
 " May our next meeting with him be more fortunate — 
 may it be the last ! " replied Philip. 
 
 " No, no ! rather may he fulfil his doom, and sail till the 
 day of judgment," replied the pilot with emphasis. 
 
 " Vile caitiff! I have a foreboding that you will not have 
 your detestable wish. Away ! — leave me ! or you shall 
 find, that although this head is blanched by misery, this 
 arm has still some power." 
 
 Schriften scowled as he walked away ; he appeared to 
 have some fear of Philip, although it was not equal to his 
 hate. He now resumed his former attempts of stirring up 
 the ship's company against Philip, declaring that he was a 
 Jonas, who would occasion the loss of the ship, and that 
 he was connected with the Flying Dutchman. Philip very 
 soon observed that he was avoided ; and he resorted to 
 counter-statements, equally injurious to Schriften, whom 
 he declared to be a demon. The appearance of Schriften 
 was so much against him, while that of Philip, on the con- 
 trary, was so prepossessing, that the people on board hardly 
 knew what to think. They were divided : some were on 
 the side of Philip — some on that of Schriften ; the captain 
 and many others looking with equal horror upon both, 
 and longing for the time when they could be sent out of 
 the vessel. 
 
 The captain, as we have before observed, was very 
 superstitious, and very fond of his bottle. In the morning 
 he would be sober and pray ; in the afternoon he would be 
 drunk, and swear at the very saints whose protection he 
 had invoked but a few hours before. 
 
 ** May Holy Saint Antonio preserve us, and keep us from 
 temptation," said he, on the morning after a conversation 
 with the passengers about the Phantom Ship. " All the 
 saints protect us from harm," continued he, taking off his 
 hat reverentially, and crossing himself. *' Let me but rid 
 
The Phantom Ship 395 
 
 myself of these two dangerous men without accident, and 
 I will offer up a hundred wax candles, of three ounces 
 each, to the shrine of the Virgin, upon my safe anchoring 
 off the tower of Belem." In the evening he changed his 
 language. 
 
 "Now, if that Maldetto Saint Antonio don't help us, 
 may he feel the coals of hell yet ; damn him and his pigs 
 too ; if he has the courage to do his duty, all will be well ; 
 but he is a cowardly wretch, he cares for nobody, and will 
 not help those who call upon him in trouble. Carambo ! 
 that for you," exclaimed the captain, looking at the small 
 shrine of the saint at the bittacle, and snapping his fingers 
 at the image — " that for you, you useless wretch, who 
 never help us in our trouble. The Pope must canonise 
 some better saints for us, for all we have now are worn 
 out. They could do something formerly, but now I would 
 not give two ounces of gold for the whole calendar ; as for 
 you, you lazy old scoundrel," — continued the captain, 
 shaking his fist at poor Saint Antonio. 
 " The ship had now gained off the southern coast of 
 Africa, and was about one hundred miles from the Lagullas 
 coast ; the morning was beautiful, a slight ripple only 
 turned over the waves, the breeze was light and steady, 
 and the vessel was standing on a wind, at the rate of about 
 four miles an hour. 
 
 "Blessed be the holy saints," said the captain, who had 
 just gained the deck ; " another little slant in our favour, 
 and we shall lay our course. — Again I say, blessed be the 
 holy saints, and particularly our worthy patron Saint 
 Antonio, who has taken under his peculiar protection the 
 Nostra Senora da Monte. We have a prospect of fine 
 weather ; come, signors, let us down to breakfast, and after 
 breakfast we will enjoy our cigarros upon the deck." 
 
 But the scene was soon changed ; a bank of clouds rose 
 up from the eastward, with a rapidity that, to the seamen's 
 eyes, was unnatural, and it soon covered the whole firma- 
 ment ; the sun was obscured, and all was one deep and 
 unnatural gloom ; the wind subsided, and the ocean was 
 
396 The Phantom Ship 
 
 hushed. It was not exactly dark, but the heavens were 
 covered with one red haze, which gave an appearance as if 
 the world was in a state of conflagration. 
 
 In the cabin the increased darkness was first observed by 
 Philip, who went on deck ; he was followed by the captain 
 and passengers, who were in a state of amazement. It was 
 unnatural and incomprehensible. " Now, holy Virgin, 
 protect us — what can this be ? " exclaimed the captain in a 
 fright. "Holy Saint Antonio, protect us — but this is 
 awful." 
 
 "There! there!" shouted the sailors, pointing to the 
 beam of the vessel. Every eye looked over the gunnel to 
 witness what had occasioned such exclamations. Philip, 
 Schriften, and the captain were side by side. On the beam 
 of the ship, not more than two cables' length distant, they 
 beheld, slowly rising out of the water, the tapering mast- 
 head and spars of another vessel. She rose, and rose 
 gradually ; her topmasts and top-sail yards, with the sails 
 set, next made their appearance; higher and higher she 
 rose up from the element. Her lower masts and rigging, 
 and, lastly, her hull showed itself above the surface. Still 
 she rose up till her ports, with her guns, and at last the 
 whole of her floatage was above water, and there she 
 remained close to them, with her main-yard squared, and 
 hove-to. 
 
 " Holy Virgin ! " exclaimed the captain, breathless ; " I 
 have known ships to go down, but never to come up 
 before. Now will I give one thousand candles, of ten 
 ounces each, to the shrine of the Virgin to save us in this 
 trouble. One thousand wax candles ! Hear me, blessed 
 lady ; ten ounces each. Gentlemen," cried the captain to 
 the passengers, who stood aghast — " why don't you 
 promise ? — promise, I say ; promise, at all events." 
 
 " The Phantom Ship — The Flying Dutchman, ^^ shrieked 
 Schriften; "I told you so, Philip Vanderdecken ; there 
 is your father — He ! he ! " 
 
 Philip's eyes had remained fixed on the vessel ; he per- 
 ceived that they were lowering down a boat from her 
 
The Phantom Ship 397 
 
 quarter. "It is possible," thought he, "I shall now 
 be permitted ! " and Philip put his hand into his bosom 
 and grasped the relic. 
 
 The gloom now increased, so that the strange vessel's 
 hull could but just be discovered through the murky 
 atmosphere. The seamen and passengers threw them- 
 selves down on their knees, and invoked their saints. 
 The captain ran down for a candle, to light before the 
 image of St Antonio, which he took out of its shrine, 
 and kissed with much apparent affection and devotion, 
 and then replaced. 
 
 Shortly afterwards the splash of oars was heard along- 
 side, and a voice calling out, " I say, my good people, 
 give us a rope from forward." 
 
 No one answered, or complied with the request. 
 Schriften only went up to the captain, and told him that 
 if they offered to send letters they must not be re- 
 ceived or the vessel would be doomed, and all would 
 perish. 
 
 A man now made his appearance from over the gunnel, 
 at the gangway. ** You might as well have let me had 
 a side rope, my hearties," said he, as he stepped on deck ; 
 " where is the captain ? " 
 
 " Here," replied the captain, trembling from head to 
 foot. The man who accosted him appeared a weather- 
 beaten seaman, dressed in a fur cap and canvas petticoats ; 
 he held some letters in his hand. 
 
 " What do you want ? " at last screamed the captain. 
 
 " Yes — what do you want ? " continued Schriften. 
 "He! he!" 
 
 " What, you here, pilot ? " observed the man ; " well 
 — I thought you had gone to Davy's locker, long enough 
 ago." 
 
 " He ! he ! " replied Schriften, turning away. 
 
 "Why the fact is, captain, we have had very foul 
 weather, and we wish to send letters home *, I do believe 
 that we shall never get round this Cape." 
 
 " I can't take them," cried the captain. 
 
398 The Phantom Ship 
 
 ** Can't take them ! well, it's very odd — but every ship 
 refuses to take our letters ; it's very unkind — seamen 
 should have a feeling for brother seamen, especially in 
 distress. God knows, we wish to see our wives and 
 families again ; and it would be a matter of comfort to 
 them, if they only could hear from us." 
 
 "I cannot take your letters — the saints preserve us;" 
 replied the captain. 
 
 " We have been a long while out," said the seaman, 
 shaking his head. 
 
 " How long ? " inquired the captain, not knowing what 
 to say. 
 
 " We can't tell ; our almanack was blown overboard, 
 and we have lost our reckoning. We never have our 
 latitude exact now, for we cannot tell the sun's declina- 
 tion for the right day." 
 
 " Let me see your letters," said Philip, advancing, and 
 taking them out of the seaman's hands. 
 
 ** They must not be touched," screamed Schriften. 
 
 " Out, monster ! " replied Philip, " who dares interfere 
 with me ? " 
 
 ** Doomed « — doomed — doomed ! " shrieked Schriften, 
 running up and down the deck, and then breaking into 
 a wild fit of laughter. 
 
 ** Touch not the letters," said the captain, trembling as 
 if in an ague fit. 
 
 Philip made no reply, but held his hand out for the 
 letters. 
 
 " Here is one from our second mate, to his wife at 
 Amsterdam, who lives on Waser Quay." 
 
 " Waser Quay has long been gone, my good friend ; 
 there is now a large dock for ships where it once was," 
 replied Philip. 
 
 " Impossible ! " replied the man ; ** here is another 
 from the boatswain to his father, who lives in the old 
 market-place." 
 
 **The old market-place has long been pulled down, 
 and there now stands a church upon the spot." 
 
The Phantom Ship 399 
 
 "Impossible!" replied the seaman; ''here is another 
 from myself to my sweetheart, Vrow Ketser — with money 
 to buy her a new brooch." 
 
 Philip shook his head — ** I remember seeing an old 
 lady of that name buried some thirty years ago." 
 
 "Impossible! I left her young and blooming. Here's 
 one for the house of Slutz & Co., to whom the ship 
 belongs." 
 
 " There's no such house now," replied Philip ; " but 
 I have heard, that many years ago there was a firm of 
 that name." 
 
 " Impossible ! you must be laughing at me. Here is 
 a letter from our captain to his son " 
 
 ** Give it me," cried Philip, seizing the letter, he was 
 about to break the seal, when Schriften snatched it out 
 of his hand, and threw it over the lee gunnel. 
 
 " That's a scurvy trick for an old shipmate," observed 
 the seaman. Schriften made no reply, but catching up 
 the other letters which Philip had laid down on the 
 capstan, he hurled them after the first. 
 
 The strange seaman shed tears, and walked again to 
 the side : — "It is very hard — very unkind," observed he, 
 as he descended; "the time may come when you may 
 wish that your family should know your situation ; " so 
 saying, he disappeared : in a few seconds was heard the 
 sound of the oars, retreating from the ship. 
 
 " Holy St Antonio ! " exclaimed the captain, " I am 
 lost in wonder and fright. Steward, bring me up the 
 arrack." 
 
 The steward ran down for the bottle ; being as much 
 alarmed as his captain, he helped himself before he brought 
 it up to his commander. "Now," said the captain, after 
 keeping his mouth for two minutes to the bottle, and 
 draining it to the bottom, " what is to be done next ? " 
 
 " I'll tell you," said Schriften, going up to him. " That 
 man there has a charm hung round his neck ; take it from 
 him and throw it overboard, and your ship will be saved ; 
 if not, it will be lost, with every soul on board." 
 
400 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " Yes, yes, it's all right depend upon it ; " cried the 
 sailors. 
 
 ** Fools," replied Philip, ** do you believe that wretch ? 
 Did you not hear the man who came on board recognise 
 him, and call him shipmate ? He is the party whose 
 presence on board will prove so unfortunate." 
 
 " Yes, yes," cried the sailors, " it's all right, the man 
 did call him shipmate." 
 
 " I tell you it's all wrong," cried Schriften ; " that is 
 the man, let him give up the charm." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; let him give up the charm," cried the 
 sailors, and they rushed upon Philip. 
 
 Philip started back to where the captain stood. " Mad- 
 men, know ye what ye are about ? It is the holy cross 
 that I wear round my neck. Throw it overboard if you 
 dare, and your souls are lost for ever ; " and Philip took 
 the relic from his bosom and showed it to the captain. 
 
 " No, no, men ; " exclaimed the captain, who was now 
 more settled in his nerves ; " that won't do — the saints 
 protect us." 
 
 The seamen, however, became clamorous ; one portion 
 were for throwing Schriften overboard, the other for 
 throwing Philip ; at last, the point was decided by the 
 captain, who directed the small skiiF, hanging astern, to 
 be lowered down, and ordered both Philip and Schriften 
 to get into it. The seamen approved of this arrangement, 
 as it satisfied both parties. Philip made no objection ; 
 Schriften screamed and fought, but he was tossed into 
 the boat. There he remained trembling in the stern 
 sheets, while Philip, who had seized the sculls, pulled 
 away from the vessel in the direction of the Phantom 
 Ship. 
 
The Phantom Ship 401 
 
 Chapter XLII 
 
 In a few minutes the vessel which Philip and Schriften 
 had left was no longer to be discerned through the thick 
 haze ; the Phantom Ship was still in sight, but at a much 
 greater distance from them than she was before. Philip 
 pulled hard towards her, but although hove-to, she 
 appeared to increase her distance from the boat. For a 
 short time he paused on his oars, to regain his breath, 
 when Schriften rose up and took his seat in the stern sheets 
 of the boat. " You may pull and pull, Philip Vander- 
 decken," observed Schriften ; " but you will not gain 
 that ship — no, no, that cannot be — we may have a long 
 cruise together, but you will be as far from your object 
 at the end of it, as you are now at the commencement. — 
 Why don't you throw me overboard again ? You would 
 be all the lighter — He ! he ! " 
 
 " I threw you overboard in a state of frenzy," replied 
 Philip, " when you attempted to force from me my relic." 
 
 " And have I not endeavoured to make others, take it 
 from you this very day ? — Have I not — He ! he ! " 
 
 ** You have," rejoined Philip ; " but I am now con- 
 vinced, that you are as unhappy as myself, and that in 
 what you are doing, you are only following your destiny, 
 as I am mine. Why, and wherefore I cannot tell, but 
 we are both engaged in the same mystery ; — if the success 
 of my endeavours depends upon guarding the relic, the 
 success of yours depends upon your obtaining it, and 
 defeating my purpose by so doing. In this matter we 
 are both agents, and you have been, as far as my mission 
 is concerned, my most active enemy. But, Schriften, I 
 have not forgotten, and never will, that you kindlily did 
 advise my poor Amine ; that you prophesied to her what 
 would be her fate, if she did not listen to your counsel ; 
 that you were no enemy of hers, although you have been, 
 and are still mine. Although my enemy, for her sake / 
 forgive you, and will not attempt to harm you." 
 p.s. 2 c 
 
402 The Phantom Ship 
 
 " You do then forgive your enemy, Philip Vanderdecken ? " 
 replied Schriften, mournfully, " for such, I acknowledge 
 myself to be." 
 
 " I do, with all my hearty with all my soul,^^ replied Philip. 
 
 " Then have you conquered me, Philip Vanderdecken; 
 you have now made me your friend, and your wishes are 
 about to be accomplished. You would know who I am. 
 Listen : — when your Father, defying the Almighty's will, 
 in his rage took my life, he was vouchsafed a chance of his 
 doom being cancelled, through the merits of his son. I 
 had also my appeal, which was for vengeance; it was 
 granted that I should remain on earth, and thwart your 
 will. That as long as we were enemies, you should not 
 succeed ; but that when you had conformed to the highest 
 attribute of Christianity, proved on the holy cross, that of 
 forgiving your enemy, your task should be fulfilled. Philip 
 Vanderdecken, you have forgiven your enemy, and both 
 our destinies are now accomplished." 
 
 As Schriften spoke, Philip's eyes were fixed upon him. 
 He extended his hand to Philip — it was taken ; and as it 
 was pressed, the form of the pilot wasted as it were into 
 the air, and Philip found himself alone. 
 
 " Father of Mercy, I thank Thee," said Philip, " that my 
 task is done, and that I again may meet my Amine." 
 
 Philip then pulled towards the Phantom Ship, and found 
 that she no longer appeared to leave him ; on the contrary, 
 every minute he was nearer and nearer, and at last he threw 
 in his oars, climbed up her sides, and gained her deck. 
 
 The crew of the vessel crowded round him. 
 
 " Your captain," said Philip ; " I must speak with your 
 captain." 
 
 " Who shall I say, sir ? " demanded one, who appeared 
 to be the first mate. 
 
 "Who?" replied Philip; "tell him his son would 
 speak to him, his son Philip Vanderdecken." 
 
 Shouts of laughter from the crew, followed this answer 
 of Philip's j and the mate, as soon as they ceased, observed 
 with a smile. 
 
The Phantom Ship 403 
 
 " You forget, sir, perhaps you would say his father." 
 
 " Tell him his son, if you please," replied Philip, " take 
 no note of grey hairs." 
 
 "Well, sir, here he is coming forward," replied the 
 mate, stepping aside, and pointing to the captain. 
 
 " What is all this ? " inquired the captain. 
 
 "Are you Philip Vanderdecken, the captain of this 
 vessel ? " 
 
 " I am, sir," replied the other. 
 
 "You appear not to know me ! But how can you ? 
 you saw me but when I was only three years old ; yet may 
 you remember a letter which you gave to your wife." 
 
 " Ha ! " replied the captain ; " and who then are you ? " 
 
 " Time has stopped with you, but with those who live 
 in the world he stops not ! and for those who pass a life 
 of misery, he hurries on still faster. In me, behold your 
 son, Philip Vanderdecken, who has obeyed your wishes 5 
 and after a life of such peril and misery as few have passed, 
 has at last fulfilled his vow, and now offers to his father 
 the precious relic that he required to kiss." 
 
 Philip drew out the relic, and held it towards his father. 
 As if a flash of lightning had passed through his mind, the 
 captain of the vessel started back, clasped his hands, fell 
 on his knees, and wept. 
 
 " My son, my son ! " exclaimed he, rising, and throwing 
 himself into Philip's arms, "my eyes are opened — the 
 Almighty knows how long they have been obscured." 
 Embracing each other, they walked aft, away from the 
 men, who were still crowded at the gangway. 
 
 "My son, my. noble son, before the charm is broken — 
 before we resolve, as we must, into the elements, oh ! let 
 me kneel in thanksgiving and contrition : my son, my noble 
 son, receive a father's thanks," exclaimed Vanderdecken. 
 Then with tears of joy and penitence he humbly addressed 
 himself to that Being, whom he once so awfully defied. 
 
 The elder Vanderdecken knelt down : Philip did the 
 same ; still embracing each other with one arm, while they 
 raised on high the other, and prayed. 
 
404 The Phantom Ship 
 
 For the last time the relic was taken from the bosom of 
 Philip and handed to his father — and his father raised his 
 eyes to heaven and kissed it. And as he kissed it, the 
 long tapering upper spars of the Phantom vessel, the yards 
 and sails that were set, fell into dust, fluttered in the air 
 and sank upon the wave. Then mainmast, foremast, bow- 
 sprit, everything above the deck, crumbled into atoms and 
 disappeared. 
 
 Again he raised the relic to his lips, and the work of 
 destruction continued, the heavy iron guns sank through 
 the decks and disappeared ; the crew of the vessel (who 
 were looking on) crumbled down into skeletons, and dust, 
 and fragments of ragged garments -, and there were none 
 left on board the vessel in the semblance of life but the 
 father and the son. 
 
 Once more did he put the sacred emblem to his lips, and 
 the beams and timbers separated, the decks of the vessel 
 slowly sank, and the remnants of the hull floated upon 
 the water ; and as the father and son — the one young and 
 vigorous, the other old and decrepit — still kneeling, still 
 embracing, with their hands raised to heaven, sank slowly 
 under the deep blue wave, the lurid sky was for a moment 
 illumined by a lightning cross. 
 
 Then did the clouds which obscured the heavens roll 
 away swift as thought — the sun again burst out in all his 
 splendour — the rippling waves appeared to dance with joy. 
 The screaming sea-gull again whirled in the air, and the 
 scared albatross once more slumbered on the wing. The 
 porpoise tumbled and tossed in his sportive play, the 
 albicore and dolphin leaped from the sparkling sea. — All 
 nature smiled as if it rejoiced that the charm was dissolved 
 for ever, and that " The Phantom Ship " was no more. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 TCRNBULL AND SPEARS, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH. 
 
C/