Ghost ship story
My
father
had
a
little
shop
in
Balsora
;
he
was
neither
rich
,
nor
poor
,
but
one
of
those
who
do
not
like
to
risk
any
thing
,
through
fear
of
losing
the
little
that
they
have
.
He
brought
me
up
plainly
,
but
virtuously
,
and
soon
I
advanced
so
far
,
that
I
was
able
to
make
valuable
suggestions
to
him
in
his
business
.
When
I
reached
my
eighteenth
year
,
in
the
midst
of
his
first
speculation
of
any
importance
,
he
died
;
probably
through
anxiety
at
having
intrusted
a
thousand
gold
pieces
to
the
sea
.
I
was
obliged
,
soon
after
,
to
deem
him
happy
in
his
fortunate
death
,
for
in
a
few
weeks
the
intelligence
reached
us
,
that
the
vessel
,
to
which
my
father
had
committed
his
goods
,
had
been
wrecked
.
This
misfortune
,
however
,
could
not
depress
my
youthful
spirits
.
I
converted
all
that
my
father
had
left
into
money
,
and
set
out
to
try
my
fortune
in
foreign
lands
,
accompanied
only
by
an
old
servant
of
the
family
,
who
,
on
account
of
ancient
attachment
,
would
not
part
from
me
and
my
destiny
.
In
the
harbor
of
Balsora
we
embarked
,
with
a
favorable
wind
.
The
ship
,
in
which
I
had
taken
passage
,
was
bound
to
India
.
We
had
now
for
fifteen
days
sailed
in
the
usual
track
,
when
the
Captain
predicted
to
us
a
storm
.
He
wore
a
thoughtful
look
,
for
it
seemed
he
knew
that
,
in
this
place
,
there
was
not
sufficient
depth
of
water
to
encounter
a
storm
with
safety
.
He
ordered
them
to
take
in
all
sail
,
and
we
moved
along
quite
slowly
.
The
night
set
in
clear
and
cold
,
and
the
Captain
began
to
think
that
he
had
been
mistaken
in
his
forebodings
.
All
at
once
there
floated
close
by
ours
,
a
ship
which
none
of
us
had
observed
before
.
A
wild
shout
and
cry
ascended
from
the
deck
,
at
which
,
occurring
at
this
anxious
season
,
before
a
storm
,
I
wondered
not
a
little
.
But
the
Captain
by
my
side
was
deadly
pale
:
"
My
ship
is
lost
,
"
cried
he
;
"
there
sails
Death
!
"
Before
I
could
demand
an
explanation
of
these
singular
words
,
the
sailors
rushed
in
,
weeping
and
wailing
.
"
Have
you
seen
it
?
"
they
exclaimed
:
"
all
is
now
over
with
us
!
"
But
the
Captain
had
words
of
consolation
read
to
them
out
of
the
Koran
,
and
seated
himself
at
the
helm
.
But
in
vain
!
The
tempest
began
visibly
to
rise
with
a
roaring
noise
,
and
,
before
an
hour
passed
by
,
the
ship
struck
and
remained
aground
.
The
boats
were
lowered
,
and
scarcely
had
the
last
sailors
saved
themselves
,
when
the
vessel
went
down
before
our
eyes
,
and
I
was
launched
,
a
beggar
,
upon
the
sea
.
But
our
misfortune
had
still
no
end
.
Frightfully
roared
the
tempest
,
the
boat
could
no
longer
be
governed
.
I
fastened
myself
firmly
to
my
old
servant
,
and
we
mutually
promised
not
to
be
separated
from
each
other
.
At
last
the
day
broke
,
but
,
with
the
first
glance
of
the
morning-red
,
the
wind
struck
and
upset
the
boat
in
which
we
were
seated
.
After
that
I
saw
my
shipmates
no
more
.
The
shock
deprived
me
of
consciousness
,
and
when
I
returned
to
my
senses
,
I
found
myself
in
the
arms
of
my
old
faithful
attendant
,
who
had
saved
himself
on
the
boat
which
had
been
upturned
,
and
had
come
in
search
of
me
.
The
storm
had
abated
;
of
our
vessel
there
was
nothing
any
more
to
be
seen
,
but
we
plainly
descried
,
at
no
great
distance
from
us
,
another
ship
,
towards
which
the
waves
were
driving
us
.
As
we
approached
,
I
recognised
the
vessel
as
the
same
which
had
passed
by
us
in
the
night
,
and
which
had
thrown
the
Captain
into
such
consternation
.
I
felt
a
strange
horror
of
this
ship
;
the
intimation
of
the
Captain
,
which
had
been
so
fearfully
corroborated
,
the
desolate
appearance
of
the
ship
,
on
which
,
although
as
we
drew
near
we
uttered
loud
cries
,
no
one
was
visible
,
alarmed
me
.
Nevertheless
this
was
our
only
expedient
;
accordingly
,
we
praised
the
Prophet
,
who
had
so
miraculously
preserved
us
.
From
the
fore-part
of
the
ship
hung
down
a
long
cable
;
for
the
purpose
of
laying
hold
of
this
,
we
paddled
with
our
hands
and
feet
.
At
last
we
were
successful
.
Loudly
I
raised
my
voice
,
but
all
remained
quiet
as
ever
,
on
board
the
vessel
.
Then
we
climbed
up
by
the
rope
,
I
,
as
the
youngest
,
taking
the
lead
.
But
horror
!
what
a
spectacle
was
there
presented
to
my
eye
,
as
I
stepped
upon
the
deck
!
The
floor
was
red
with
blood
;
upon
it
lay
twenty
or
thirty
corpses
in
Turkish
costume
;
by
the
middle-mast
stood
a
man
richly
attired
,
with
sabre
in
hand
--
but
his
face
was
wan
and
distorted
;
through
his
forehead
passed
a
large
spike
which
fastened
him
to
the
mast
--
he
was
dead
!
Terror
chained
my
feet
;
I
dared
hardly
to
breathe
.
At
last
my
companion
stood
by
my
side
;
he
,
too
,
was
overpowered
at
sight
of
the
deck
which
exhibited
no
living
thing
,
but
only
so
many
frightful
corpses
.
After
having
,
in
the
anguish
of
our
souls
,
supplicated
the
Prophet
,
we
ventured
to
move
forward
.
At
every
step
we
looked
around
to
see
if
something
new
,
something
still
more
horrible
,
would
not
present
itself
.
But
all
remained
as
it
was
--
far
and
wide
,
no
living
thing
but
ourselves
,
and
the
ocean-world
.
Not
once
did
we
dare
to
speak
aloud
,
through
fear
that
the
dead
Captain
there
nailed
to
the
mast
would
bend
his
rigid
eyes
upon
us
,
or
lest
one
of
the
corpses
should
turn
his
head
.
At
last
we
arrived
at
a
staircase
,
which
led
into
the
hold
.
There
involuntarily
we
came
to
a
halt
,
and
looked
at
each
other
,
for
neither
of
us
exactly
ventured
to
express
his
thoughts
.
"
Master
,
"
said
my
faithful
servant
,
"
something
awful
has
happened
here
.
Nevertheless
,
even
if
the
ship
down
there
below
is
full
of
murderers
,
still
would
I
rather
submit
myself
to
their
mercy
or
cruelty
,
than
spend
a
longer
time
among
these
dead
bodies
.
"
I
agreed
with
him
,
and
so
we
took
heart
,
and
descended
,
full
of
apprehension
.
But
the
stillness
of
death
prevailed
here
also
,
and
there
was
no
sound
save
that
of
our
steps
upon
the
stairs
.
We
stood
before
the
door
of
the
cabin
;
I
applied
my
ear
,
and
listened
--
there
was
nothing
to
be
heard
.
I
opened
it
.
The
room
presented
a
confused
appearance
;
clothes
,
weapons
,
and
other
articles
,
lay
disordered
together
.
The
crew
,
or
at
least
the
Captain
,
must
shortly
before
have
been
carousing
,
for
the
remains
of
a
banquet
lay
scattered
around
.
We
went
on
from
room
to
room
,
from
chamber
to
chamber
finding
,
in
all
,
royal
stores
of
silk
,
pearls
,
and
other
costly
articles
.
I
was
beside
myself
with
joy
at
the
sight
,
for
as
there
was
no
one
on
the
ship
,
I
thought
I
could
appropriate
all
to
myself
;
but
Ibrahim
thereupon
called
to
my
notice
that
we
were
still
far
from
land
,
at
which
we
could
not
arrive
,
alone
and
without
human
help
.
We
refreshed
ourselves
with
the
meats
and
drink
,
which
we
found
in
rich
profusion
,
and
at
last
ascended
upon
deck
.
But
here
again
we
shivered
at
the
awful
sight
of
the
bodies
.
We
determined
to
free
ourselves
therefrom
,
by
throwing
them
overboard
;
but
how
were
we
startled
to
find
,
that
no
one
could
move
them
from
their
places
!
So
firmly
were
they
fastened
to
the
floor
,
that
to
remove
them
one
would
have
had
to
take
up
the
planks
of
the
deck
,
for
which
tools
were
wanting
to
us
.
The
Captain
,
moreover
,
could
not
be
loosened
from
the
mast
,
nor
could
we
even
wrest
the
sabre
from
his
rigid
hand
.
We
passed
the
day
in
sorrowful
reflection
on
our
condition
;
and
,
when
night
began
to
draw
near
,
I
gave
permission
to
the
old
Ibrahim
to
lie
down
to
sleep
,
while
I
would
watch
upon
the
deck
,
to
look
out
for
means
of
deliverance
.
When
,
however
,
the
moon
shone
forth
,
and
by
the
stars
I
calculated
that
it
was
about
the
eleventh
hour
,
sleep
so
irresistibly
overpowered
me
that
I
fell
back
,
involuntarily
,
behind
a
cask
which
stood
upon
the
deck
.
It
was
rather
lethargy
than
sleep
,
for
I
plainly
heard
the
sea
beat
against
the
side
of
the
vessel
,
and
the
sails
creak
and
whistle
in
the
wind
.
