The narrative, the author claims, is of his own experience. It tells of the voyage of a sailing schooner from San Francisco to the Fiji Islands, of the superstitious sailors’ taking alarm at the alighting on the ship of the “flying bo’sun,” the bird of bad omen, the subsequent death of the captain, his haunting of the cabin and spiritualistic rappings. On the return voyage the Hindoo stowaway has a mysterious illness and is left in a state of coma on the captain’s bed while a terrific hurricane is raging. During a critical moment, when all seems lost, the frail little Hindoo is suddenly seen in charge of the wheel giving commands in the captain’s voice with the captain’s ghost standing beside him. With the ship safe and calm restored the Hindoo is found just coming to life on the captain’s bed. He disclaims all knowledge of commanding a ship but is still shaken by the memory of the hideous dream he has had.
“The feeling persists that, with the exception of the spiritual phenomenon, the whole dramatic voyage actually occurred.” S. M. R.
+ Bookm 52:371 D ’20 90w
“As a story of the sea it ranks with the best of Jack London or Morgan Robertson, and as a story of the uncanny it is comparable with ‘Dracula’ and ‘The master of Ballantrae.’”
+ N Y Evening Post p22 O 23 ’20 200w
“In spite of the undoubted accuracy of Mr Mason’s idiom, however, the discriminating layman is likely to find less of the authentic or communicable essence of the sea in ‘The flying b’sun’ than in the spiritual reaction of Masefield, Conrad, Tomlinson and McFee.”
+ − N Y Times p25 Ja 16 ’21 340w
MASON, AUGUSTUS LYNCH. Guiding principles for American voters. *$2 Bobbs 320
20–18679