alarm, it was impossible to make any efforts to save Morgan; and it was considered a matter of course that he had perished in the ocean. Two days after, one of the other vessels of the squadron came alongside the frigate, and sent a boat on board with Billy Morgan. Twelve hours after his leap overboard, he had been found swimming away gallantly, with the spoon in his hand. When asked why he did not let it go, he replied, that he kept it to help himself to salt water when he was dry. This adventure fixed in the minds of the sailors an obstinate opinion, that Morgan was either a dead man come to life again, or one that was not very easy to be killed.

After this, Morgan continued his mysterious pranks, the sailors talked and wondered, and Captain R punished him, until the squadron were within two or three days sail of Gibraltar, admitting the wind continued fair, as it then was. Morgan had beer punished pretty severely that morning for star-gazing and falling into a swoon on his watch the night before, and had solemnly assured his messmates, that he intended to jump overboard and drown himself the first opportunity. He made his will, dressed himself in his best, and settled all his affairs. He also replenished his tobacco-box, put his allowance of biscuit in his pocket, and filled a small canteen with water, which he strung

about his neck, saying, that perhaps he might take it into his head to live a day or two in the water, before he finally went to the bottom.

Between twelve and one, the vessel being becalmed, the night a clear starlight, and the sentinels pacing their rounds, Morgan was distinctly seen to come up through the hatchway, walk forward, climb the bulwark, and let himself drop into the sea. A midshipman and two seamen testified to the facts, and Morgan being missing the next morning, there was no doubt of his having committed suicide by drowning himself. This affair occasioned much talk, and various were the opinions of the ship's crew on the subject. Some swore it was one Davy Jones who had been playing his pranks—others that it was no man, but a ghost or a devil that had got among them—and others were in daily expectation of seeing him come on board again, as much alive as ever he

was.

In the mean time, the squadron proceeded but slowly, being detained several days by calms and head winds, most of which were in some way or other laid to Billy Morgan by the gallant tars, who fear nothing but Fridays and men without heads. His fate, however, gradually ceased to be a subject of discussion, and the wonder was quickly passing away, when one night, about a week after

his jumping overboard, the figure of Morgan, all pale and ghastly, his clothes hanging wet about him--with eyes more sunken, hair more upright; and face more thin and cadaverous than ever, was seen by one of his messmates who happened to be lying awake, to emerge slowly from the fore-part of the ship, approach one of the tables where there was a can of water, from which it took a hearty draught, and disappear in the direction whence it came. The sailor told the story next morning, but as yet very few believed him.

The next night the same figure appeared, and was seen by a different person from him by whom it was first observed. It came from the same quarter again, helped itself to a drink, and disappeared in the same direction it had done before. The story of Morgan's ghost, in the course of a day or two, came to the ears of Captain Rwho caused a search to be made in that part of the vessel whence the ghost had come; under the impression that the jumping overboard of Morgan had been a deception, and that he was now secreted on board the ship. The search ended, however, without any discovery. The calms and head winds still continued, and not a sailor on board but ascribed them to Billy Morgan's mysterious influence. The ghost made its appearance again the following night after the search, when it was

seen, by another of Morgan's messmates, to empty his tobacco-box, and seize some of the fragments of supper, which had been accidentally left on a table, with which it again vanished in the manner before described. The sailor swore, that when the ghost made free with his tobacco-box, he attempted to lay hold of him, but felt nothing in his hand but something exactly like cold water.

Captain R was excessively provoked at these stories, and caused another and still more thorough search to be made, but without any discovery. He then directed a young midshipman to keep watch between decks. That night the ghost again made its appearance; and the courageous young officer sallied out upon it; but the figure darted away with inconceivable velocity, and disappeared. The midshipman, as directed, immediately informed Captain R, who instituted an immediate search, but with as little success as before. By this time, there was not a sailor on board that was not afraid of his shadow; and even the officers began to be infected with a superstitious dread. At length the squadron arrived at Gibraltar, and came to in the Bay of Algesiras, where the ships remained some days waiting the arrival of those they had come to relieve. About the usual hour that night, the ghost of Billy Morgan again appeared to one of his messmates, offered him

its hand, and saying, "Good bye, Tom," disappeared as usual.

It was a fortnight or more, before the relief squadron sailed up the Mediterranean; during which time, the crews of the ships were permitted to take their time to go ashore. On one of these occasions, a messmate of Billy Morgan, named Tom Brown, was passing through a tolerably dark lane, in the suburbs of Algesiras, when he heard a well-known voice call out-" Tom, Tom, d-n your eyes, don't you know your old messmate ?" Tom knew the voice, and looking round, recognised his old messmate Morgan's ghost: but he had no inclination to renew the acquaintance; he took to his heels, and without looking behind him to see if the ghost followed, ran to the boat where his companions were waiting, and told the story as soon as he could find breath for the purpose. This reached the ear of Captain R, who, being almost sure of the existence of Morgan, applied to the governor of the town, who caused search to be made every where without effect. No one had ever seen such a person. That very night the ghost made its appearance on board the frigate, and passed its cold wet hand over the face of Tom Brown, to whom Morgan had left his watch, and chest of clothes. The poor fellow bawled out lustily; but, before any pursuit could be made, the