say, and see if any man dares speak ;" and Captain Vanderdecken in a great fury rushed aft and went into his cabin. "I know what he will do, my men," said Jansen; "he has gone for his double-barrelled pistols, and will shoot us through the head;—we must not let him come out again." "Nein, nein," replied the seamen; and they ran to the cabin-doors, and made them fast, so that Vanderdecken could not get out, and could shoot nobody but himself. "Now my lads," said Jansen, "put the helm up, and square the yards." "What's the course to be, Mynheer Jansen," asked the man at the helm. Keep her right before it, my man; how's her head now?" "About south-west." 66 "That will do-it will fetch somewhere-she walks fast through it. Spielman, heave the log." "What does she go ?" "Eighty-five miles an hour; but we must allow something for the heave of the sea," replied the second mate. "She don't sail as well as she did; but we are half full of water," replied Jansen. When a ship runs down more than two degrees of longitude in an hour, it does not take her long to go half round the world. The Flying Dutchman, as she flew along, was pursued by the demons of the storm, visible to the crew on board, although not to mortal eyes: some, with puffed-out cheeks, were urging her through the water; others mouthed and yelled; some kicked her stern in derision; others tumbled and curveted in the air above her-ever keeping pace with the vessel, jibing and jeering at their victory; for the Flying Dutchman no longer battled against the adverse elements, but at last had yielded to them. The Dutchmen cared little for the imps, they were used to them, and they smoked their pipes in silence, all but Vanderdecken; the mutiny of the men had put his pipe out. On the second day they had passed Cape Horn without perceiving it; the wind veered more to the east, and they steered more to the northward. On the fourth evening, the sailor on the look-out at the bow called out Land, hoh!" They steered right for it and entered a large bay; the anchor, in many parts not thicker than a pipe-stem, was dropped, the foresail clued up, and having first armed themselves, the seamen let the captain loose. Vanderdecken was as savage as a bear. He ran out with a pistol in each hand, but a pea-jacket was thrown over his head, and he was disarmed. 66 Cowardly villains !" exclaimed the captain, as soon as the jacket was removed; "mutinous scoundrels-" "We return to our duty, Captain Vanderdecken," replied the crew, we will obey your orders. What shall we do first? Shall we mend the sails, or mend our clothes? Shall we darn our stockings, or go on shore for fresh water? Shall we caulk the ship, or set up the rigging? Speak, Captain Vanderdecken, you shall order us as you please." "Tousend tyfels!" replied Vanderdecken, "go to, all of you." "Show us the way, captain, and we will follow you," replied the crew. Gradually the captain's wrath was appeased; the ship required refitting and watering; he never could have doubled the Cape in the state she was in; the mutiny had prevented his breaking his oath-and now the seamen were obedient. "Shall we take possession of the land, in the name of his most Christian Majesty?" said Jansen. "Take possession in the name of his Satanic Majesty,” replied Vanderdecken, turning sulkily away. The captain had not quite recovered his good-humour-he returned to his cabin, mixed a tumbler of brandy and gunpowder, set fire to it, and drank it off-this tisane cooled him down, and when he came out, the crew perceived that all was right, so they went aft and touched their hats. Liberty on shore for an hour or two if you please," said they; “it's a long while that we've been treading the planks." 66 "Yes, you may go; but I'll keelhaul every man who's not off to his work by daylight-recollect that," replied Vanderdecken. Donder und blitzen-we will all be on board, captain. 66 They be queer sort of people in this country," observed Jansen, who had been surveying the shore of the bay with his telescope. "I can't make them out at all. I see them put their heads down close to the ground, and then they stand up again; they wear their breeches very low, and yet they jump remarkably well-Hundred tousend tyfels!" con tinued he, as he looked through the telescope again; "there's one of them six feet high at least, and he has jumped twenty yards. It can't be a woman—if she is, what a springy partner she would make in a dance !" "We'll take the fiddle and schnapps on shore, and have a dance with the natives," cried the boatswain. "Mind you behave civilly and make friends with them," said Vanderdecken ; "don't be rude to the women." "Nein, Mynheer," replied the crew, who now lowered the boats and were very soon pulling for the shore-every man with his pipe in his mouth. The spectre-crew gained the beach-quitted the boat, and took up a position under a high rock. The pipes were refilled-the schnapps handed round, and very soon they were as jolly as ghosts could be. "Come, Jansen, give us a song," cried Spielman; "and you, Dirk Spattrel, keep company with your fiddle.” 66 My windpipe is not quite so fresh as it was once," said Jansen, putting his bony fingers up to his neck, "but here goes: "In spite of wind and weather, In spite of mountain waves, If our timbers hold together And we sink not to our graves; The Cape we still will double, boys, The stormy Cape we'll clear,Who cares for toil or trouble, boys, Who thinks of watery bier? "We left our wives behind us, Bright India's realms to gain, Let nothing then remind us Of them and home again; Close luff'd with well-set sails, lads, "Who cares for mocking billows, One half sleep on our pillows, While t'others deck-watch keep; We laugh at wild spray dashing, boys, Our beast of burden is the wave To round the Cape we'll reckon, lads, Three cheers for Vanderdecken, lads, "Yaw-yaw," cried the crew, "we'll round the Cape yet. Drink, boys, drink-three cheers for Vanderdecken! We'll caulk the old ship; we'll repair our old sail; we'll mend our old clothes; we'll darn our old stockings, and then to sea again. Hurrah!-hurrah!" Thus did they continue to drink and carouse until, if they had had any eyes left in their head, they never could have seen visually; but ghosts see mentally, and in the midst of their mirth and jollity, they saw some tall objects coming down gradually and peeping over the rocks, probably attracted by the fiddle of Dirk Spattrel. “The natives!”—cried Jansen, "the natives!-now, my men, recollect the captain's orders-don't be rude to the women." "Yaw-nein-yaw!" replied the reeling spectres; "oh, nein, but we'll get them down here and have a dance; that's civility all over the world." "But I say," hiccupped Spielman, "what rum beggars these islanders be! only look, they are coming down to us, all of their own accord!" This was true enough; a herd of kangaroos, attracted by the sound of the music, but of course not able to distinguish the spectre seamen, who, like all others of a similar nature, were invisible to mortal and to kangaroo eyes, had come down fearlessly to the foot of the rock where the crew were carousing. The Dutchmen had never seen an animal so tall which stood erect like a man, and they were all very drunk; it is not therefore surprising that they mistook the kangaroos for natives clothed in skins, and as the broadest part of their dress was down on the ground, of course they fancied they were the women belonging to the island. "Strike up, Dirk Spattrel," cried Jansen, taking hold of the paws of one of the kangaroos." Wel sie valtz, Fraulein?" The kangaroo started back, although it saw nothing, and of course said nothing. "Don't be shamming modest, Fraulein. Now then, strike up, Dirk ;" and Jansen passed his arm round the kangaroo, which appeared very much alarmed, but, seeing nothing, did not hop away. The rest of the seamen seized the other kangaroos by the paws or round the body, and in a short time such a dance was seen as never took place before. Some of the kangaroos stood upon their thick tails and kicked at their invisible partners with their hind feet, so as to send their ghostships many yards distant; others hopped and jumped in their fright many feet from the ground, taking their partners with them; others struggled violently to disengage themselves from their unseen assailants. Shouts, laughter, and shrieks resounded from the drunken crew at this strange junketting; at last, in their struggling to detain the animals, and the attempts of the Dirk frightened kangaroos to escape, the Dutchmen found themselves all mounted on the backs of the kangaroos, who, frightened out of their senses, bounded away in every direction. Thus did the ball break up, every kangaroo carrying off its partner in a different direction. Spattrel was the only one left, but there was a kangaroo also unemployed; determined not to be left behind, the fiddler jumped on its back, and clinging fast by his legs, commenced such a furious screeching upon his instrument that the animal made a bound of nearly forty yards every time, Dirk Spattrel playing on like one possessed, until he had not only gained, but was far in advance of his brother riders. Away they all went over hill and dale, the fiddle still shrieking in advance, until the exhausted animals fell down panting, and the Dutchmen, tired with their own exertions, and overcome with liquor, dropped asleep where they fell, -for ghosts do sleep as well as mortal men. The next morning there was no one on board at eight o'clock, and Vanderdecken was full of wrath. At last Dirk Spattrel, the fiddler, made his appearance with the remains of his instrument in his hand. "Donder und vind-where are the crew ?" cried Vanderdecken. off with the natives," replied the fiddler. "All gone "I thought as much,” roared Vanderdecken, “and now I'll give you something for your good news." Vanderdecken seized the end of the fore-brace and commenced a most furious attack upon the shoulders of Dirk Spattrel. The blows were given with great apparent force, but there was no sound, it was like buffeting a bag of wind; notwithstanding Dirk worked round and round, twisting and wincing, and crying, "Ah, yaw, ah!" "Take that, scoundrel!” cried Vanderdecken, as much out of breath as a ghost could be. "They're coming off now, captain," said Dirk Spattrel, rubbing his shoulders. Jansen and the rest of the crew now made their appearance, looking very sheepish. "Where have you been, scoundrels ?” "Mynheer Vanderdecken,” replied Jansen, “the island is peopled with ghosts and goblins, and demons and devils; one of them seized upon each of us and carried us off the Lord knows where.' 66 66 Fools!-do you believe in such nonsense as ghosts and spectres?" replied Vanderdecken, or do you think me such an ass as to credit you? Who ever saw a ghost or spectre! Stuff, Jansen, stuff-you ought to be ashamed of yourself." "It's all true, captain; they came down and ran away with us. Is it not so, men?" "Yaw, yaw," said the crew, "it's all true, Captain Vanderdecken; they leaped with us as high as the moon." "Much higher," cried Dirk Spattrel. "You're a parcel of lying drunken dogs,” roared Vanderdecken; "Istop all your leaves you sha'nt go on shore again." "We don't want,” replied Jansen, 66 we will never go on shore at such |