If you hadn’t asked me,” said the night watchman, “I should never have told you; but, seeing as you’ve put the question point blank, I will tell you my experience of it. You’re the first person I’ve ever opened my lips to upon the subject, for it was so eggstraordinary that all our chaps swore as they’d keep it to theirselves for fear of being disbelieved and jeered at.
“It happened in ’84, on board the steamer George Washington, bound from Liverpool to New York. The first eight days passed without anything unusual happening, but on the ninth I was standing aft with the first mate, hauling in the log, when we hears a yell from aloft, an’ a chap what we called Stuttering Sam come down as if he was possessed, and rushed up to the mate with his eyes nearly starting out of his ’ed.
“‘There’s the s-s-s-s-s-s-sis-sis-sip!’ ses he.
“‘The what?’ ses the mate.
“‘The s-s-sea-sea-sssssip!’
“‘Look here, my lad,’ ses the mate, taking out a pocket-hankerchief an’ wiping his face, ‘you just tarn your ’ed away till you get your breath. It’s like opening a bottle o’ soda water to stand talking to you. Now, what is it?’
“‘It’s the ssssssis-sea-sea-sea-sarpint!’ ses Sam, with a bust.
“‘Rather a long un by your account of it,’ ses the mate, with a grin.
“‘What’s the matter?’ ses the skipper, who just came up.
“‘This man has seen the sea-sarpint, sir, that’s all,’ ses the mate.