In some parts of the world the fog is supposed to be the abode of spirits, and in former times the fog itself was believed to be a spirit which had taken that shape. Some of our sailors seemed to have a particular dread of the fog, not so much for its disagreeable nature and the possibility of having a collision with another ship while shut up in the fog-bank, but an uncanny feeling growing out of their superstitions. I didn't have any superstitious fear at all concerning it, but it certainly gave me a very uncomfortable sensation when I saw it coming.
Well, when that fog arrived, it seemed as though it would swamp us. Actually, you couldn't see from one end of the ship to the other, and if there had been a thousand ships close around us we couldn't have seen one of them until we ran into her or got near enough to be in danger. In a little while the sails and rigging were wet as though there had been a heavy shower, and the water dripped from them in all directions. There was no need of washing the deck when the mist had been on us for an hour or more, as the fog drenched it and the rolling of the ship caused the water to pass out through the scuppers. My clothes were wet through, as though I had been overboard without taking them off, and it seemed to me that I was breathing a mixture of air and water in about equal proportions, and ran the risk of being drowned in consequence.
The fog remained with us the greater part of the day, not blowing away until nearly nightfall. It went as suddenly as it came, and we were all glad to see it disappear.
When the fog had gone away Mr. Stevens went aloft again with the captain's telescope, but with the same result as before; the Warwick was nowhere to be seen.
We settled down to another night of anxiety concerning our companion ship, and our talk on the subject showed that our fears for the safety of our consort had been greatly increased in the past twenty-four hours. Some of the men felt entirely sure that the Warwick was lost, others had grave doubts, and others again were quite hopeful of her safety. Among those in the last category was my friend Haines, and he demonstrated the reason for his belief by setting forth his faith in Mr. Johnson and the men who accompanied him.
"Johnson has the nerve of a thunderbolt," said Haines, "and he's got the wearing qualities of a piece of steel. The men as went with him were among the best on the ship, all good, able-bodied seamen, and the kind of men you want to stick to when you know 'em. Johnson knew just what to do with the ship when the gale came on, and you can bet he did it. We'll see if the Warwick don't turn up at the point where we was to meet her in case we got blowed apart."
The night passed quietly and the next day came on bright and beautiful. We had a good eight-knot breeze on our starboard quarter and everything spread that would draw. After the sun was well up, the mate climbed again into the rigging and scanned the horizon all around in search of the Warwick. She wasn't to be seen anywhere; again the spirit of gloom passed over the ship's company, and the question that rose most prominently in every mind was, "Shall we ever see the Warwick again?"
A rumor went about that a ghost had been seen on board the ship during the night. With each repetition the story increased, until finally it included Mr. Johnson, our second mate, and all the men who were with him, their specters having been seen in solemn procession by the man at the wheel just before the watch was changed at midnight.
It was two or three hours before the report reached the captain's ears; and I may remark that very often on shipboard a story may be circulating for days and weeks among the men of the crew, and the captain know nothing about it. As soon as Captain Dawson—I believe I haven't told you before the name of our commander—heard about the ghost, he proceeded to take active measures concerning him. All hands were called; the men were ordered to stand up in line, and then the captain began at one end of it and questioned each man successively.