He said no more; the cutwater
of the stranger touched their sides; one general cry was raised by the
sailors of the _Utrecht_, they sprang to catch at the rigging of
the other vessel's bowsprit which was now pointed between their
masts--they caught at nothing--nothing--there was no shock--no
concussion of the two vessels--the stranger appeared to cleave through
them--her hull passed along in silence--no cracking of timbers--no
falling of masts--the foreyard passed through their mainsail, yet
the canvas was unrent--the whole vessel appeared to cut through the
_Utrecht_, yet left no trace of injury--not fast, but slowly, as if
she were really sawing through her by the heaving and tossing of the
sea with her sharp prow. The stranger's forechains had passed their
gunwale before Philip could recover himself. "Amine," cried he, at
last, "the Phantom Ship! my father!" The seamen of the _Utrecht_, more astounded by the marvellous result
than by their former danger, threw themselves down upon deck; some
hastened below, some prayed, others were dumb with astonishment and
fear. Amine appeared more calm than any, not excepting Philip; she
surveyed the vessel as it slowly forced its way through; she beheld
the seamen on board of her coolly leaning over her gunwale, as
if deriding the destruction they had occasioned; she looked for
Vanderdecken himself, and on the poop of the vessel, with his trumpet
under his arm, she beheld the image of her Philip--the same hardy,
strong build--the same features--about the same age apparently--there
could be no doubt it was the _doomed_ Vanderdecken! "See, Philip," said she, "see!--your father!" "Even so--Merciful Heaven! It is--it is"--and Philip, overpowered by
his feelings, sank upon deck. The vessel had now passed over the _Utrecht_; the form of the elder
Vanderdecken was seen to walk aft and look over the taffrail; Amine
perceived it to start and turn away suddenly--she looked down, and
saw Schriften shaking his fist in defiance at the supernatural being! Again the Phantom Ship flew to leeward before the gale, and was soon
lost in the mist; but before that, Amine had turned and perceived the
situation of Philip. No one but herself and Schriften appeared able to
act or move. She caught the pilot's eye, beckoned to him, and with his
assistance Philip was led into the cabin. Chapter XXIII


"I have then seen him," said Philip, after he had lain down on the
sofa in the cabin for some minutes to recover himself, while Amine
bent over him. "I have at last seen him, Amine! Can you doubt now?" "No, Philip, I have now no doubt," replied Amine, mournfully; "but
take courage, Philip." "For myself, I want not courage--but for you, Amine--you know that his
appearance portends a mischief that will surely come." "Let it come," replied Amine, calmly; "I have long been prepared for
it, and so have you." "Yes, for myself; but not for you." "You have been wrecked often, and have been saved--then why should not
I?" "But the sufferings!" "Those suffer least, who have most courage to bear up against them. I
am but a woman, weak and frail in body, but I trust I have that within
me which will not make you feel ashamed of Amine. No, Philip, you will
have no wailing, no expression of despair from Amine's lips; if she
can console you, she will; if she can assist you, she will; but, come
what may, if she cannot serve you, at least, she will prove no burden
to you." "Your presence in misfortune would un-nerve me, Amine." "It shall not; it shall add to your resolution. Let fate do its
worst." "Depend upon it, Amine, that will be ere long." "Be it so," replied Amine; "but, Philip, it were as well you showed
yourself on deck--the men are frightened, and your absence will be
observed." "You are right," said Philip; and rising and embracing her, he left
the cabin. "It is but too true, then," thought Amine. "Now to prepare for
disaster and death--the warning has come. I would I could know more. Oh! mother, mother, look down upon thy child, and in a dream reveal
the mystic arts which I have forgotten, then should I know more; but I
have promised Philip, that unless separated--yes, that idea is worse
than death, and I have a sad foreboding; my courage fails me only when
I think of that!" Philip, on his return to the deck, found the crew of the vessel in
great consternation. Krantz himself appeared bewildered--he had not
forgotten the appearance of the Phantom Ship off Desolation Harbour,
and the vessels following her to their destruction. This second
appearance, more awful than the former, quite unmanned him; and when
Philip came out of the cabin, he was leaning in gloomy silence against
the weather bulkhead. "We shall never reach port again, sir," said he to Philip, as he came
up to him. "Silence, silence; the men may hear you." "It matters not--they think the same," replied Krantz. "But they are wrong," replied Philip, turning to the seamen. "My lads! that some disaster may happen to us, after the appearance of this
vessel, is most probable; I have seen her before more than once, and
disasters did then happen; but here I am alive and well, therefore it
does not prove that we cannot escape as I have before done. We must do
our best, and trust in Heaven. The gale is breaking fast, and in a few
hours we shall have fine weather. I have met this Phantom Ship
before, and care not how often I meet it again. Mr Krantz, get up the
spirits--the men have had hard work, and must be fatigued." The very prospect of obtaining liquor, appeared to give courage to the
men; they hastened to obey the order, and the quantity served out was
sufficient to give courage to the most fearful, and induce others to
defy old Vanderdecken and his whole crew of imps. The next morning the
weather was fine, the sea smooth, and the _Utrecht_ went gaily on her
voyage. Many days of gentle breezes and favouring winds gradually wore off the
panic occasioned by the supernatural appearance, and if not forgotten,
it was referred to either in jest or with indifference. They now
had run through the Straits of Malacca, and entered the Polynesian
Archipelago. Philip's orders were to refresh and call for instructions
at the small island of Boton, then in possession of the Dutch. They
arrived there in safety, and after remaining two days, again sailed on
their voyage, intending to make their passage between the Celebes and
the island of Galago. The weather was still clear and the wind light:
they proceeded cautiously, on account of the reefs and currents,
and with a careful watch for the piratical vessels, which have for
centuries infested those seas; but they were not molested, and had
gained well up among the islands to the north of Galago, when it fell
calm, and the vessel was borne to the eastward of it by the current. The calm lasted several days, and they could procure no anchorage; at
last they found themselves among the cluster of islands near to the
northern coast of New Guinea.