F. HABAKUK JEPHSON'S STATEMENT. (From the Cornhill Magazine.) {Continued)

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1863, 14 June 1884, Page 1 (Supplement)

F. HABAKUK JEPHSON'S STATEMENT. (From the Cornhill Magazine.) {Continued)

October 17.— Mrs. Tibbs appeared on deck for the first time this morning — a cheerful, energetic woman, with a dear little child just able to walk and prattle. Young Harton pounced on it at once and carried it awaj to his cabin, where no doubt he will lay the seeds of future dyspepsia in the child's stomach. Thus medicine doth make cynics of us all 1 The weather is still all that could be desired, with a fine fresh breeze from the west-sou-west. The vessel goes so steadily that you would hardly know that she was moving were it not for the creaking of the cordage, the bellying of the sails, and the long white furrow in our wake. Walked the quarter-deck all the morning with the captain, and I think the keen fresh air has already done my breathing good, for the exercise did not fatigue me in any -way. Tibbs is a remarkably intelligent man, and we had an interesting argument about Maury's observations on ocean currents, which wo terminated by going down into his cabhrto consult the original work. * There we found Goring, rather to the captain's surprise, as it is not usual for passengers to snter that sanctum unless speoially invited. He apologised fox his intrusion; however, pleading his ignorance of the usages of chip life ; and the

gpod-natured sailor simply laughed at the in- I cident, begging him to remain and favour us \ with his conipauy. Goring pointed to the chronometers, the case «£ which he had opened and remarked that he had been admiring them. He has evidently some practical knowledge of mathematical instrument*, as he told at a glance which was the most trustworthy of the three, and also named their price within a few dollars. He had a discussion with the captain too upon ±he variation of the compass, and when we came back to the ocean currents he showed a thorough grasp of the subject. Altogether he rather improves upon acquaintance, and is a man of decided culture and refinement. His voice harmonises with his conversation, and both are the very antithesis of his face and figure. The noon-day observation shows thnt we hare run two hundred and twenty miles. Towards evening the breeze freshened up And the first mate ordered reefs to be taken in the topsails and topgallant sails in expectation of a windy night. I observe that the barometer had fallen to twenty-nine. I trust our voyage will not be a rough one, as I am a puor sailor, and my health would probably derive more harm than good from a stormy trip, though I have Ihe.greatest confidence in the captain's seamanship and in the «oundneas of the vessel. Played cribbage with Mrs. Tibbs after supper, arid Harton gave us a couple of tunes on the violin. October 18. — The gloomy prognostications of last night were not fulfilled, as the wind died away again, and wo are lying now in a long greasy swell, ruffled here and there by a fleeting catspaw which is insufficient to fill the sails. The air is colder than it was yosterday, and I have put on one of the thick woollen jerseys which my wife knitted for me. Harton came into my cabin in the morning, and we had a cigar together. He fays that he remembers having seen Goring in Cleveland, Ohio, in '69. He was, it appears, a mystery then as now, wandering about without any visible employment and extremely reticent on his own affairs. The man .interests me as a psychological study. At breakfast this morning I suddenly had a vague feeling of uneasiness which comes over some people when closely stared at, and, looking quickly up, I met his eyes bent upon me with an intensity which amounted to ferocity, though their expression instantly softenod as he made some conventional remark upon the weather. Curiously enough, Harton says that he had a very similar appearance yesterday upon deck. I observe that Goring frequently talks to the colored seamen as he strolls about — a trait which I rather admire, as it is common to find half-breeds ignore their dark strain and treat their black kinsfolk with greater intolerance than a white man would do. His little page is devoted to him, apparently, which speaks well for his treatment of him. Altogether, the man is a curious mixture of incongruous qualities, and unless I am deceived in him will giro me f«od for observation during the voyago. The captain is grumbling about his chronometers, which do not register exactly the same time. He says it is the first time that they have ever disagreed. We were unable to get a noon-day observation on account of the haee. By dead reckoning, we have done about a hundred and seventy milts in twentyfour hours. The dark seamen have proved, as the skipper prophesied, to bo very inferior hands, but as they can both manage the wheel well they are kept steering, and so leave the more experienced men to work the ship. These details arc trivial enough, but a small thing serves as food for gossip aboard ship. The appearance of a whale in the evening caused quite a flutter among us. From its sharp back and forked tail, I should pronounce it to have been a rorqual, or " firmer," as they are called by the fishermen. October 19. — Wind was cold, so I prudently remained in my cabin all day, only creeping out for dinner. Lying in my bunk I can, without moving, reach my books, pipes, or anything else I may want, which is one advantage of a small apartment. My old wound began to ache a little to-day, probably from the cold. Read "Montaigne's Essays" and nursed myself. Harton came in in the afternoon with Doddy, the Captain's child, and the skipper himself followed, so that I held quite a reception. October 20 and 21.— Still cold, with a continual drizzle of rain, and I have not been able to leave the cabin. This confinement makes me feel weak and depressed. Goring came in to see me, but his company did not tend to cheer me up much, as he hardly uttered a word, but contented himself wicb. staring at me in a peculiar and rather irritating manner. He then got up and stole out of the cabin without sayisg anything. lam beginning to suspect that the man is a lunatic. I think I mentioned that his cabin is next to mine. The two are simply divided by a thin wooden partition, which is cracked in many places, some of the cracks being so large that I can hardly avoid, as I lie in my bunk, observing his motions in the adjoining room. Without any wish to play the spy, I see him oontinuatly stooping over what appears to be a chart, and working with a pencil and compasses. I have remarked the interest he displays in matters connected with navigation, but I am surprised that he should take the trouble to work out the course of the ship. However, it is a harmless amusement enough, and no doubt he verifies his results by those of the captain. I wish the man did not run in my thoughts so much. I had a nightmare on the night of the 20th, in which I thought my bunk was a coffin, that I was laid out in it, and that Goring was endeavoring to nail up the lid, which I was frantically pushing away. Even when I woke up, I could hardly persuade myself that I was not in a coffin. A3 a medical man, I know that a nightmare is simply a vascular derangement of the cerebral hemispheres, and yet in my weak stats I cannot shake off the morbid impression which it produces. October 22.— A fine day, with hardly a cloud in the sky, and a freah\ breeze from the sou-west, which wafts us gaily on our way. There has evidently been some heavy weather near us, as there is a tremendous swell on, and the ship lurches until the end of the foreyard nearly touches the water. Had a refreshing walk up and down the quarter- deck, though, I have hardly found my sea-legs yet. Several small birds — chaffinches, I think — perched in the rigging. 4.40 p.m.— While I was on deok this morning I heard a sudden explosion from the direction of my cabin, and; hurrying down, found that I had very nearly met with a serious accident. Goring was cleaning a revolver, it seems, in his cabin, when one of the barrels which he thought was unloaded went off. The ball passed through the side partition trad embedded itself in the bulwarks in the exact place where my head usually rests. I have been under fire too often to magnify trifles, but there is no doubt that if I had been in the bunk it must have killed me. Goring, poor fellow, did not know that I had gone on deok that day, and must therefore have felt terribly frightened. I never saw such emotion in a man's face as when, on rushing out of his cabin with the smoking pistol in his hand, he met me face to face as I came down from deok. Of course, he was profuse in his apologies, though I simpiy laughed at the incident. II p.m.~A misfortune has occurred so unexpected and so horrible that my little escape of the morning dwindles into insignificance. i£rs. Tibbs and her ohild have disappeared— utterly and entirely disappeared. I can hardly compose myself to write the sad details*

About half-past eight Tibbs rushed into mj cabin with a very white face, and asked me if I had seen his wife. I answered that I had not. He then ran wildly into the saloon and began groping about for any trace of her, while I followed him, endeavoring vainly to persuade him that his fears were ridiculous. We hunted over the ship for an hour and a half without coming on any sign of the miasing woman or child. Poor Tibbs lost his voice completely from calling her name. Even the sajjprs, who are generally stolid enough, were deeply affected by the sight of him as he roamed bareheaded and dishevelled about the deck, searching with feverish anxiety tne most impossible places, and returning to them again and again with a piteous pertinacity. The last time she was seen was about seven o'clock, when she took Doddy on to the poop to give him a breath of fresh air before putting him to bed. There was no one there at the time except the black seaman at the wheel, who denies having seen her at all. The whole affair is wrapped in mystery. My own theory is that while Mrs. Tibbs was holding the child and standing near the bulwarks it gave a spring and fell overboard, and that in her convulsive attempt to catch or save it, she followed it. I cannot account for the double disappearance in any other way. It was quite feasible that Fueh a tragedy should be enacted without the knowledge of the man at tho wheel, since it was dark at the time, and tho peaked skylights of the saloon screen the greater part of the quarter-deck. Whatever the truth may be it is a terrible catastrophe, and has cast the deepest gloom upon our voyage. The mate has put the ship about, but of course there is not the slightest hope of picking them up. The captain is lying in a state of stupor in his cabin. I gave him a powerful dose of opium in his coffee that for a few hours at least his anguish may be deadened. October 23. — Woke with a vague feeling of heaviness and misfortune, bus it was not uniil a few moment's reflection that I was able to recall our loas of the night before. When I came on deck I saw the poor skipper standing gazing back at the -waste of waters behind us which contained everything dear to him on earth. I attempted to speak to him, but he turned brusquely away, and began pacing the deck with his head sunk upon his breait. Even now, when the truth is so clear, he cannot pass a boat or an unbent sail without peering under it. lie looks ten years older than he did yesterday morning, flarton is terribly cut up, for he was fond of little Doddy, and Goiing saema sorry too. A.t least he has shut himself up in his cabin all day, and when I got a casual glance at him his head was resting on his two hands as if in a melancholy reverie. I fear we are about as dismal a crew ,as ever sailed. How shocked my wife will be to hear of our disaster 1 The swell has gone down now, and we are doing about eight knots with all sail set and a nice little breeze. Hyson is practically in command of the ship, as Tibbs, though he does his best to bear up and keep a brave front, is incapable of applying himself to serious work. October 24. — Is the ship accursed ? Was there ever a voyage which began so fairly and which changed so disastrously ? Tibbs shot himself through the head during the night. I was awakened about three o'clock in the morning by an explosion, and immediately sprang out of bed and rushed into the captain's cabin to find out tH Cciuso, though with a terrible presentiment in my heart. Quickly as I went, Goring went more quickly ctill, for he was already in the cabin stooping over the dead body of the captain. It was a hideous sight, for the whole front of hi 3 face was blown in, and the little room was swimming in blood. The pistol was lying beside him on the floor, just as it had dropped from his hand. He had evidently put it to his mouth bsfore pulling the trigger. Goring and I reverently picked him up and laid him on his bed. The crew had all clustered into his cabin, and the six white men were deeply grieved, for they were old hands who had sailed with him many years. There were dark looks and murmurs among them too, and one of them openly declared that the ship vraa haunted. Harton helped to lay the poor skippor out, and we did him up in canvas between us. At twelve o'clock the fore-yard was hauled aback, and we committed his body to the deep, Goring reading the Church of England burial service. The breeze has freshened up, and we have done ten knots all day and sometimes twelve. The soonor we reach Lisbon and get away from this accursed ship the better pleased shall I be. I feel as though we were in a floating coffin. Little wonder that the poor sailors are superstitious when I, an educated man, feel it so strongly. October 25. — Made a good run all day. Feel listless and depressed. October 2G. — Goring, Harton, and I had a chat together on the deck in the morning. Harton tried to draw Goring out as to his profession, and his objects in going to Europe, but the quadroon parried all his questions and gave us no information. Indeed he seemed to be slightly offended by Harton's pertinacity, and went down into his cabin. I wonder why we should both take such an interest in this man I I suppose it is his striking appearance, coupled with his apparent wealth, which piques our curiosity. Harton has a theory that he is realiy a detective, that he is after some criminal who has got away to Portugal, and that he chooses this peculiar way of travelling that he may arrive unnoticed and pounce upon his quarry unawares. I think the supposition is rather a far-fetched one, but Harton bases it upon a book which Goring left on deck, and which he picked up and .glanced over. It was a sort of scrap-book it seems, and contained a large number of newspaper cuttings. All these cuttings related to murders which had been committed at various times in the States during the la«t twenty years or so. The curious thing which Harton observed about them, however, was that they were invariably ,murders the authors of which had never been brought to justice. They varied in every detail, he says, as to the manner of execution and the social status of the victim, but they uniformly wound up with the same formula that the murderer was still at large, though, of course, the police had every reason to expect his speedy capture. Certainly, the incident seems to support Harton's theory, though it may be a mere whim of Goring's, or, as I suggested to Harton, he may be collecting materials for a book which shall outvie De Quincy. In any case it is no business of ours.October 27, 28. — Wind still fair, and we are making good progress. Strange how easily a human unit may drop out of its place and be forgotten 1 Tibba ia hardly ever mentioned now; Hyson has taken possession of his cabin, and all goes on as before. Were it not iox Mr 3. Tibb's sewing machine upon'a sidetable we might forget that the unfortunate .family had ever existed. Another accident • occurred on board to day, though fortunately not a very serious one. One of our white hands had gone down the after hold to fetch up a spare coil of rope, when one of the hatches which he had removed came crashing down on the top of him. He saved his life by springing out of the way, but one of his feet was terribly crushed, and he will be of little use for the remainder of the voyage*. He attributes the accident to the carelessness of his negro companion who had helped him to shift the hatches. The latter, however, puts it down to the roll of the ship. Whatever be the. cause it reduces our short-handed crew still further. This ran of ill lack seems to be depressing Harton, for he has lost his usual good spirits and joviality. Goring is the

only one who preserves his cheerfulness. I see him still working at his ohart in his own cabin. His nautical knowledge would be useful should anything happen to Hyson— which God forbid I October 29, 30.— Still bowling along with a fresh breeze. All quiet and nothing of note to chronicle. October 31. — My weak lungs, combined ■with the exciting episodes of the voyage, have shaken my nervous system so much that the mogt trivial incident affects me. I can hardly believe that I am the same man who tied the external iliac artery, an operation requiring the nicest precision, under a heavy rifle fire at Antietara. I am as nervous as a child. I was lying half dozing last night, about four bells in the middle watch, trjing in vain to drop into a refreshing sleep. There was no light inside my cabin, but a single ray of moonlight streamed in through the port-hole, throwing a silvery flickering circle upon the door. As I lay I kept my drowsy eyes upon this circle, and was conscious that it was gradually becoming less well defined as my senses left me, when I was suddenly recalled to full wakefulness by the appearance of a small dark object in the very centre of the luminous disc. I lay quietly and breathlessly watching it. Gradually it grew larger and plainer, and then I perceived that it was a human hand which had been cautiously inserted through the chink of the half closed door — a hand which, as I observed with a thrill of horror, was not provided with fingers. The door swung cautiously backwards, and Goring's head followed his hand. It appeared in the centre of the moonlight, and was framed as it were in a ghastly uncertain halo, against which his features showed out plainly. It seemed to me that I had never seen such an utterly fiendish and merciless expression upon a human face. His eyes were dilated and glaring, his lips drawn back <*o as to show his white fangs, and his straight black hair appeared to bristle over his low forehead like the hood of a cobra. The sudden and noiseless apparition hael such an effect upon me that I sprang up in b«d trembling in every limb, and held out my hand towards my revolver. I was heartily ashamed of my hastiness when he explained the object of his intrusion, as he immediately did in the most courteous language. Ho had been suffering from toothache, poor fellow 1 and had c»me in to beg some laudanum, knowing that I possessed a medicine chest. As to a sinister expression he is never a beauty, and what with my state of nervous tension and the effect ol the shifting moonlight it was easy to conjure up something horrible. I gave him twenty drops, and he went off again with many expressions of gratitude. I can hardly say how much thi3 trivial incident affected me. I have felt unstrung all day. A week's record of our voyage Is here omitted, as nothing eventful occurred during the time, and my log consists merely of a few pages of unimportant gossip. November 7. — Harton and I sat on the poop all the morning, for the weather is becoming very warm as we come into southern latitudes. We reckon that we have done two thirds of our voyage. How glad we shall be to see the green banks of the Tagus, and leave this unlucky ship for ever ! I was endeavoring to amuse Harton to-day and to while away the time by telling him some of the experiences of my pa3t life. Among others I related to him how I came into the possession of my black stone, and as a finale I rummaged in the side pocket of my old fhooting coat and produced the identical object in question. He and I were bending over it together, I pointing out to him the curious ridgea upon its surface, when we were conscious of a shadow falling between us and the sun, and looking round saw Goi|ng standing behind us glaring over our shoulders at the stone. For some reason or other he appeared to be powerfully excited, though he vras evidently trying to control himself and to conceal his emotion. He pointed once or twice at my relic with his stubby thumb before he could recover himself sufficiently to ask what it wa3 and how I obtained it— a question put in such a brusque manner that I should have been offended had I not known the man to be an eccentric. I told him the story very much as I had told it to Harton. Hg listened with the deepest interest and then asked me if I had acy idea what the stone was. I said I had not, beyond that it was meteoric. He asked me if I had ever tiied its effects upon c, negro. I said I had not. " Come," said he, " we'll see what our black friend at the wheel thinks of it." He took the stone in his hand and went across to the sailor and the two examined it carefully. I could see the man gesticulating and nodding his head excitedly as if making some assertion, while his face betrayed the utmost astonishment, mixed I think with, some reverence. Goring came across the deck to ua presently, still holding the stone in his hand. "He says it is a worthless, useless thing," he said, "and fit only to be ohucked overboard," with which he raised his hand and would most certainly have made an end of my relic had the black sailor behind him not rushed forward and seized him by the wrist. Finding himself secured Goring dropped the stone and turned away with a very bad grace to avoid my angry remonstrances at his breach of faith. The black picked up the stone and handed it to me with a low bow and every sign of profound respect. The whole affair 13 inexplicable. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Goring is a maniac or something very near one. When I compare the effect produced by the stone upon the sailor, however, with the respect shown to Martha on the plantation, and tho surprise of Goring on its first production, I cannot but come to the conclusion that I have really got hold of some powerful talisman which appeals to the whole dark race. I must not trust it in Goring's hands again.^ November 8, 9. — What splendid weather we are having 1 Beyond one little blow, we have had nothing but fresh breezes the whole voyage. These two days we have made better runs than any hitherto. It is a pretty thing to watch the spray fly up from our prow as it cuts through the waves. The sun shines through it and breaks it up into a number of miniature rainbows — 'sun-dogs,' the sailors call them. I Btood on the fo'cslehead for several hours to-day watching the effect, and surrounded by a halo of prismatic colours. The steersman has evidently told the other blacks about my wonderful stone, for I am treated by them all with the greatest respect. Talking about optical phenomena we had a curious one yesterday evening, which was pointed out to me by Hyson. This was the appearance of a triangular welldefined object high up in the heavens to the north of us. He explained that it was exactly like the Peak of Teneriffe as Been from a great distance — the peak was, however, at that moment at least five hundred milea to the south. It may have been a cloud, or it may have been one of those strange reflections of which one reads. The weather is very warm. The mate says that he never knew it so warm in these latitudes. Played chess with Harton in the evening. November 10. — It is getting warmer and warmer. Some land birds came and perched in the rigging to-day, though we are still a considerable way from our destination. The heat is so great that we are too lazy to do anything but lounge about the decks and smoke. Goring came over to me to-day and asked me some more questions about my stone; but I answered him rather shortly, for I have not quite forgiven him yet for the cool way in which he attempted to deprive me of it.

November 11, 12. — Still making good progress. I had no idea Portugal was ever as hot aa this, but no doubt it is cooler on land. Hyson himself seemed surprised at it, and so do the men. November 13.— A most extraordinary event has happened, so extraordinary as to be almost inexplicable. Either Hyson haa blundered wonderfully, or some magnetic influenoe has disturbed our instruments^ Just about daybreak the watch on "the fo'osle head shouted out that he heard the sound of surf ahead, and Hyson thought he saw tha loom of land. The ship was put about, and, though no lights were seen, none of aa doubted that we had struck the Portugaesa coast a little sooner than we had expected. What was our surprise to see the scene which was revealed to us at break of day 1 Ab far as we could look on either side was one long line of surf, great, green billows rolling in and breaking into a cloud of foam. But behind the surf what was there 1 Not the green banks nor the high cliffs of the shores of Portugal, but a great sandy waste which stretched away and away until it blended with the skyline. To right and left, look where you would, there was nothing but yellow sand, heaped in some places into fantastic mounds, some of them several hundred feet high, while in other parts were long stretrb'afl aa level apparently as a billiard board. ftjrton and I, who had come on deck together looked at each other in astonishment, and ilarton burst out laughing. Hyson is exceedingly mortified at the occurrence, and protests thai the instruments have been tampered with. There is no doubt that this is the mainland of Africa, and that it was really the Peak of Teneriffe which we saw some days ago upon the northern horizon. At the time when we saw the land birds we must have been passing some of the Canary Islands. If we continued on the same course, we are now to the north of Cape Blanco near the unexplored country which skirts the great Sahara. All we can do is to rectify our instruments as far as possible and start afresh for our destination. 8 30 p.m.— Have been lying in a calm all day. The coast ia now about a mile and a half from us. Hyson has examined the in* struments, but cannot And any reason for their extraordinary deviation. This is the end of my private journal, and I must make the remainder of my statement from memory. There is little chance of my being mistaken about facts which have seared themselves into my recollection. That very night the storm which had been brewing so long burst orer us, and I came to learn whither all those little incidents were tending which I had recorded so aimlessly. Blind fool that I was not to have seen it sooner 1 I shall tell what occurred R3 precisely as I can. I had gone into my cabin about half-past eleven, and was preparing to go to bed, when a tap came at my door. On opening it I saw Goring's little black page, who told me that his master would like to have a word with me on deck. I was rather surprised that he should want me at such a late hour, but I went up without hesitation. I had hardly put my foot on the quarter-deck before I was seised from behind, dragged down upon my back, and a handkerchief slipped round my mouth. I struggled as hard as I could, but a coil of rope was rapidly and firmly wound round me, and I found myself lashed to the davit of one of the boats, utterly powerless to do or say anything, while the point of a knife pressed to my throat warned me to cease my struggles. The night was so dark that I had been unable hitherto to recognise my assailants, but as my eye 3 became accustomsd to the gloom, and the moon broke out through the clouds that obscured it, I made out that I was surrounded by the two negro sailors, the black cook, and my fellow-passenger Goring. Anether man was crouching on the deck at my feet, but he was in the shadow and I could not recognise him. All this occurred so rapidly that a minute could hardly have elapsed from the time I mounted the companion until I found myself gagged and powerless. It was so sudden that I could scarce bring myself to realise it, or to comprehend what it all meant. I heard the gang round me speaking in short, fieroe whispers to each other, and some instinct told me that my life was the question at issue. Goring spoke authoritatively and angrily — the others doggedly and all together, as if disputing his commands. Then they moved away in a body to the opposite side of the deck, where I could still hear them whispering, though they were concealed from my view by the saloon skylights. (To be Continued.)