s gave us the creeps.
Another herald of storm, I felt.

Next night Nils did not walk, though the lads in both watches insisted
they saw and heard things that were not right or natural. The night
following in the midwatch--our midwatch--half the watch swore they saw
him flit across the main deck and disappear behind the roundhouse.

The next night marked Nils' last and most startling appearance. In the
heart of the middle watch, while my mates were sound asleep, the ghost
walked into the empty port foc'sle.

That is, the port foc'sle should have been empty, since the mate had
the watch out. But it happened that Nigger, coming from the wheel,
seized an opportunity to slip into the deserted room for a quiet
smoke-O. It was a liberty he was safe in taking, now that the bucko
mate had reformed.

My bunk in the starboard foc'sle was handy to the door connecting the
two rooms, and when he burst terror-stricken through that door my
unconscious head was right in front of him. I awakened abruptly to
discover Nigger clawing my hair; aye, and when I looked up and saw his
convulsed face and gleaming, bulging eyes, I knew at once he had seen
Nils.

He was too scared to talk; he could only stutter. "Gug-gug-gug-God!"
But he pointed into the other foc'sle.

Well, my bowels were water, as the saying is, but nevertheless I turned
out promptly. I had to. Other men were waking up. Even Newman, in
the bunk opposite, had his eyes open; and he was regarding me in a very
curious way. So I couldn't hold back. I was bully of the crowd, and I
would not let the crowd think I was afraid to face anything, even a
ghost.

Out I rolled, and into the doorway I stepped. There I stopped. God's
truth, I was frozen to the spot with terror. For Nils' shadow lay
athwart the floor of the port fo'sle, his moving shadow. It was this
shadow coming in through the deck door that had frightened Nigger. He
recognized the shadow as Nils because a tam-o'-shanter crowned the
silhouette, and Nils had owned the only tam on board.

I recognized that awful shadow, too. But I saw more than the shadow.
I saw a white hand appear on the door jamb. A ghost-like hand, it was
so white and small, a patch of plaid cloth, a little bare, white foot
lifting above the sill, and then the tam and the white face beneath it.
Aye, that white face with its great, staring eyes!

So much I saw during the instant I stood in the doorway. Then Newman
pushed past me a