One of the men spoke of Peters, when the mate replied to him in a
      low voice which could not be distinguished, and afterward added
      more loudly, that “he could not understand his being so much
      forward with the captain’s brat in the forecastle, and he thought
      the sooner both of them were overboard the better.” To this no
      answer was made, but we could easily perceive that the hint was
      well received by the whole party, and more particularly by Jones. At this period I was excessively agitated, the more so as I could
      see that neither Augustus nor Peters could determine how to act. I made up my mind, however, to sell my life as dearly as
      possible, and not to suffer myself to be overcome by any feelings
      of trepidation. The tremendous noise made by the roaring of the wind in the
      rigging, and the washing of the sea over the deck, prevented us
      from hearing what was said, except during momentary lulls. In one
      of these, we all distinctly heard the mate tell one of the men to
      “go forward, have an eye upon them, for he wanted no such secret
      doings on board the brig.” It was well for us that the pitching
      of the vessel at this moment was so violent as to prevent this
      order from being carried into instant execution. The cook got up
      from his mattress to go for us, when a tremendous lurch, which I
      thought would carry away the masts, threw him headlong against
      one of the larboard stateroom doors, bursting it open, and
      creating a good deal of other confusion. Luckily, neither of our
      party was thrown from his position, and we had time to make a
      precipitate retreat to the forecastle, and arrange a hurried plan
      of action before the messenger made his appearance, or rather
      before he put his head out of the companion-hatch, for he did not
      come on deck. From this station he could not notice the absence
      of Allen, and he accordingly bawled out, as if to him, repeating
      the orders of the mate. Peters cried out, “Ay, ay,” in a
      disguised voice, and the cook immediately went below, without
      entertaining a suspicion that all was not right. My two companions now proceeded boldly aft and down into the
      cabin, Peters closing the door after him in the same manner he
      had found it. The mate received them with feigned cordiality, and
      told Augustus that, since he had behaved himself so well of late,
      he might take up his quarters in the cabin and be one of them for
      the future. He then poured him out a tumbler half full of rum,
      and made him drink it. All this I saw and heard, for I followed
      my friends to the cabin as soon as the door was shut, and took up
      my old point of observation. I had brought with me the two
      pump-handles, one of which I secured near the companion-way, to
      be ready for use when required. I now steadied myself as well as possible so as to have a good
      view of all that was passing within, and endeavoured to nerve
      myself to the task of descending among the mutineers when Peters
      should make a signal to me, as agreed upon. Presently he
      contrived to turn the conversation upon the bloody deeds of the
      mutiny, and by degrees led the men to talk of the thousand
      superstitions which are so universally current among seamen. I
      could not make out all that was said, but I could plainly see the
      effects of the conversation in the countenances of those present. The mate was evidently much agitated, and presently, when some
      one mentioned the terrific appearance of Rogers’ corpse, I
      thought he was upon the point of swooning. Peters now asked him
      if he did not think it would be better to have the body thrown
      overboard at once as it was too horrible a sight to see it
      floundering about in the scuppers. At this the villain absolutely
      gasped for breath, and turned his head slowly round upon his
      companions, as if imploring some one to go up and perform the
      task. No one, however, stirred, and it was quite evident that the
      whole party were wound up to the highest pitch of nervous
      excitement. Peters now made me the signal. I immediately threw
      open the door of the companion-way, and, descending, without
      uttering a syllable, stood erect in the midst of the party. The intense effect produced by this sudden apparition is not at
      all to be wondered at when the various circumstances are taken
      into consideration. Usually, in cases of a similar nature, there
      is left in the mind of the spectator some glimmering of doubt as
      to the reality of the vision before his eyes; a degree of hope,
      however feeble, that he is the victim of chicanery, and that the
      apparition is not actually a visitant from the old world of
      shadows. It is not too much to say that such remnants of doubt
      have been at the bottom of almost every such visitation, and that
      the appalling horror which has sometimes been brought about, is
      to be attributed, even in the cases most in point, and where most
      suffering has been experienced, more to a kind of anticipative
      horror, lest the apparition might possibly be real, than to an
      unwavering belief in its reality. But, in the present instance,
      it will be seen immediately, that in the minds of the mutineers
      there was not even the shadow of a basis upon which to rest a
      doubt that the apparition of Rogers was indeed a revivification
      of his disgusting corpse, or at least its spiritual image. The
      isolated situation of the brig, with its entire inaccessibility
      on account of the gale, confined the apparently possible means of
      deception within such narrow and definite limits, that they must
      have thought themselves enabled to survey them all at a glance. They had now been at sea twenty-four days, without holding more
      than a speaking communication with any vessel whatever. The whole
      of the crew, too—at least all whom they had the most remote
      reason for suspecting to be on board—were assembled in the cabin,
      with the exception of Allen, the watch; and his gigantic stature
      (he was six feet six inches high) was too familiar in their eyes
      to permit the notion that he was the apparition before them to
      enter their minds even for an instant.