The wind was
fairly fresh up there, and overhead, there sounded the flap, flap of
sailcloth flying in the wind; but since we had left the deck, there had
been no other sound from above. Now, abruptly, there came again a wild crying from the darkness over us. A strange, wild medley it was of screams for help, mixed up with
violent, breathless curses. Beneath the royal yard, Stubbins halted, and looked down to me. "Hurry hup ... with ther ... lantern ... Jessop!" he shouted, catching
his breath between the words. "There'll be ... murder done ... hin a
minute!" I reached him, and held the light up for him to catch. He stooped, and
took it from me. Then, holding it above his head, he went a few ratlines
higher. In this manner, he reached to a level with the royal yard. From
my position, a little below him, the lantern seemed but to throw a few
straggling, flickering rays along the spar; yet they showed me
something. My first glance had been to wind'ard, and I had seen at once,
that there was nothing on the weather yard arm. From there my gaze went
to leeward. Indistinctly, I saw something upon the yard, that clung,
struggling. Stubbins bent towards it with the light; thus I saw it more
clearly. It was Jacobs, the Ordinary Seaman. He had his right arm
tightly round the yard; with the other, he appeared to be fending
himself from something on the other side of him, and further out upon
the yard. At times, moans and gasps came from him, and sometimes curses. Once, as he appeared to be dragged partly from his hold, he screamed
like a woman. His whole attitude suggested stubborn despair. I can
scarcely tell you how this extraordinary sight affected me. I seemed to
stare at it without realising that the affair was a real happening. During the few seconds which I had spent staring and breathless,
Stubbins had climbed round the after side of the mast, and now I began
again to follow him. From his position below me, the Second had not been able to see the
thing that was occurring on the yard, and he sung out to me to know what
was happening. "It's Jacobs, Sir," I called back. "He seems to be fighting with someone
to looard of him. I can't see very plainly yet." Stubbins had got round on to the lee foot-rope, and now he held the
lantern up, peering, and I made my way quickly alongside of him. The
Second Mate followed; but instead of getting down on to the foot-rope,
he got on the yard, and stood there holding on to the tie. He sung out
for one of us to pass him up the lantern, which I did, Stubbins handing
it to me. The Second held it out at arm's length, so that it lit up the
lee part of the yard. The light showed through the darkness, as far as
to where Jacobs struggled so weirdly. Beyond him, nothing was distinct. There had been a moment's delay while we were passing the lantern up to
the Second Mate. Now, however, Stubbins and I moved out slowly along the
foot-rope. We went slowly; but we did well to go at all, with any show
of boldness; for the whole business was so abominably uncanny. It seems
impossible to convey truly to you, the strange scene on the royal yard. You may be able to picture it yourselves. The Second Mate standing upon
the spar, holding the lantern; his body swaying with each roll of the
ship, and his head craned forward as he peered along the yard. On our
left, Jacobs, mad, fighting, cursing, praying, gasping; and outside of
him, shadows and the night. The Second Mate spoke, abruptly. "Hold on a moment!" he said. Then:

"Jacobs!" he shouted. "Jacobs, do you hear me?" There was no reply, only the continual gasping and cursing. "Go on," the Second Mate said to us. "But be careful. Keep a tight
hold!" He held the lantern higher and we went out cautiously. Stubbins reached the Ordinary, and put his hand on his shoulder, with a
soothing gesture. "Steady hon now, Jacobs," he said. "Steady hon." At his touch, as though by magic, the young fellow calmed down, and
Stubbins--reaching round him--grasped the jackstay on the other side. "Get a hold of him your side, Jessop," he sung out. "I'll get this
side." This, I did, and Stubbins climbed round him. "There hain't no one here," Stubbins called to me; but his voice
expressed no surprise. "What!" sung out the Second Mate. "No one there! Where's Svensen,
then?" I did not catch Stubbins's reply; for suddenly, it seemed to me that I
saw something shadowy at the extreme end of the yard, out by the lift. I
stared. It rose up, on the yard, and I saw that it was the figure of a
man. It grasped at the lift, and commenced to swarm up, quickly. It
passed diagonally above Stubbins's head, and reached down a vague hand
and arm. "Look out! Stubbins!" I shouted. "Look out!" "What's up now?" he called, in a startled voice. At the same instant,
his cap went whirling away to leeward. "Damn the wind!" he burst out. Then all at once, Jacobs, who had only been giving an occasional moan,
commenced to shriek and struggle. "Hold fast onto him!" Stubbins yelled. "He'll be throwin' himself off
the yard." I put my left arm round the Ordinary's body--getting hold of the
jackstay on the other side. Then I looked up. Above us, I seemed to see
something dark and indistinct, that moved rapidly up the lift. "Keep tight hold of him, while I get a gasket," I heard the Second Mate
sing out. A moment later there was a crash, and the light disappeared. "Damn and set fire to the sail!" shouted the Second Mate. I twisted round, somewhat, and looked in his direction. I could dimly
make him out on the yard. He had evidently been in the act of getting
down on to the foot-rope, when the lantern was smashed. From him, my
gaze jumped to the lee rigging. It seemed that I made out some shadowy
thing stealing down through the darkness; but I could not be sure; and
then, in a breath, it had gone. "Anything wrong, Sir?" I called out. "Yes," he answered. "I've dropped the lantern. The blessed sail knocked
it out of my hand!" "We'll be all right, Sir," I replied. "I think we can manage without it. Jacobs seems to be quieter now." "Well, be careful as you come in," he warned us. "Come on, Jacobs," I said. "Come on; we'll go down on deck." "Go along, young feller," Stubbins put in. "You're right now. We'll take
care of you." And we started to guide him along the yard. He went willingly enough, though without saying a word. He seemed like a
child. Once or twice he shivered; but said nothing. We got him in to the lee rigging. Then, one going beside him, and the
other keeping below, we made our way slowly down on deck. We went very
slowly--so slowly, in fact, that the Second Mate--who had stayed a
minute to shove the gasket round the lee side of the sail--was almost as
soon down. "Take Jacobs forrard to his bunk," he said, and went away aft to where a
crowd of the men, one with a lantern, stood round the door of an empty
berth under the break of the poop on the starboard side. We hurried forrard to the fo'cas'le. There we found all in darkness.