"You'll get drenched skin; you'll catch your death ! " said Peechy Prauw affectionately

"Thunder and lightning ! " exclaimed the veteran; "don't preach about weather to man that has cruised in whirlwinds and tornadoes "

The obsequious Peechy was again struck dumb The voice water was heard once more in tone of impatience; the bystanders stared with redoubled awe man of storms, who seemed come up deep, and summoned back again As, assistance negro, he slowly bore his ponderous sea chest toward the shore, they eyed it with superstitious feeling, half doubting whether he really about to embark upon it and launch forth wild waves They followed him at distance with lantern

"Dowse[1] the light ! " roared the hoarse voice water "No one wants light here ! "

[1] Extinguish

"Thunder and lightning ! " exclaimed the veteran, turning short upon them; "back house ! "

Wolfert companions shrank back in dismay Still their curiosity allow them entirely to withdraw long sheet of lightning now flickered across the waves, and discovered boat, filled with men, just under rocky point, rising and sinking heaving surges, and swashing the waters at every heave with difficulty held rocks by boat hook, current rushed furiously round the point The veteran hoisted one end lumbering sea chest gunwale boat, and seized the handle other end to lift it in, motion propelled the boat shore, the chest slipped off gunwale, and, sinking waves, pulled the veteran headlong after it loud shriek was uttered by all on shore, and volley of execrations on board, but boat and man were hurried away rushing swiftness tide pitchy darkness succeeded Wolfert Webber, indeed, fancied that he distinguished cry for help, he beheld the drowning man beckoning for assistance; but lightning again gleamed along the water all was void; neither man nor boat was seen,--nothing but the dashing and weltering waves hurried past

The company returned tavern to await the subsiding storm They resumed their seats and gazed on with dismay The whole transaction occupied five minutes, and not dozen words spoken looked oaken chair scarcely realize the fact strange being who had so lately tenanted it, full of life and Herculean vigor, should already be corpse the very glass he had just drunk from; there lay the ashes pipe which he had smoked, as it were, last breath worthy burghers pondered things, they felt terrible conviction uncertainty of existence, and each felt as ground he stood was rendered less stable by his awful example

As, however, the most company were possessed valuable philosophy which enables man to bear up with fortitude against the misfortunes neighbors, they soon managed to console themselves tragic end veteran The landlord was particularly happy poor dear man had paid his reckoning before he went, and made kind of farewell speech occasion

" ," said he, "in storm, and he went in storm; night, and he went night; nobody knows whence, and he has gone nobody knows where For aught he has gone to sea once more chest, and may land to bother some people other side world; though it's thousand pities," added he, "if he has gone to Davy Jones's[1] locker, that he left his own locker[2] behind him "

[1] Davy Jones spirit sea, or the sea devil, and Davy Jones's locker bottom ocean; hence, "gone to Davy Jones's locker" signifies "dead and buried sea "

[2] Chest

"His locker ! St Nicholas preserve us ! " cried Peechy Prauw "I'd not that sea chest house for any money; I'll warrant he'd come racketing after it at nights, and making haunted house inn And as going to sea chest, I recollect what happened to Skipper Onderdonk's ship voyage from Amsterdam

"The boatswain died during storm, so they wrapped him up in sheet, and put him own sea chest, and threw him overboard; but they neglected, in their hurry-skurry, prayers over him, storm raged and roared louder than ever, saw the dead man seated chest, shroud for sail, coming hard ship, sea breaking before him in great sprays like fire; and there they kept scudding day after day and night after night, expecting every moment to wreck; and every night they saw the dead boatswain sea chest trying up , heard his whistle above the blasts of wind, and to send great seas, mountain high, after them swamped the ship put up the deadlights And so it went on till they lost sight of him fogs off Newfoundland, and supposed he had veered ship and stood for Dead Man's Isle [1] for burying man at sea without saying prayers over him "

[1] Probably Deadman's Point, small island near Deadman's Bay, off the eastern coast of Newfoundland

The thunder gust which had hitherto detained the company was now at an end The cuckoo clock hall told midnight; everyone pressed to depart, for seldom was such late hour night trespassed on quiet burghers sallied forth they found the heavens once more serene The storm which had lately obscured them had rolled away, and lay piled up in fleecy masses horizon, lighted up bright crescent moon, which looked like little silver lamp hung up in palace of clouds

The dismal occurrence night, dismal narrations they had made, had left superstitious feeling in every mind They cast fearful glance spot where the buccaneer had disappeared, almost expecting him sailing chest cool moonshine The trembling rays glittered along the waters, but all was placid, current dimpled over the spot where he had gone down The party huddled together in little crowd repaired homeward, particularly passed lonely field where man murdered, and even the sexton, who had to complete his journey alone, though accustomed, one would think, to ghosts and goblins, went long way round rather than pass by his own churchyard

Wolfert Webber had now carried home fresh stock of stories and notions to ruminate upon These accounts of pots of money and Spanish treasures, buried here and there and everywhere rocks and bays wild shores, made him almost dizzy "Blessed St Nicholas ! " ejaculated he, half aloud, " not possible upon golden hoards, and oneself rich in twinkling ? How hard that go on, delving and delving, day in and day out, merely morsel of bread, when one lucky stroke of spade might enable me to ride in my carriage rest life ! "

As he turned over thoughts all that told singular adventure negro fisherman, his imagination gave totally different complexion[1] tale gang of red-caps nothing but crew of pirates burying their spoils, cupidity was once more awakened possibility of getting traces of lurking wealth Indeed, his infected fancy tinged everything with gold like the greedy inhabitant of Bagdad when his eyes greased magic ointment dervish, that gave him all the treasures earth [2] Caskets of buried jewels, chests of ingots, and barrels of outlandish coins seemed to court him from their concealments, and supplicate him to relieve them from their untimely graves

[1] Aspect

[2] See Story Blind Man, Baba Abdalla, in Arabian Nights' Entertainment An inhabitant of Bagdad, Asiatic Turkey, meets with dervish, or Turkish monk, who presents him with vast treasure and with box of magic ointment, which, applied left eye, enables one the treasures bosom earth, but on touching the right eye, causes blindness Having applied it left eye result predicted, he uses it right eye, still greater treasures revealed, and immediately becomes blind

On making private inquiries grounds said haunted by Feather Red-cap, more and more confirmed surmise He learned place had been visited by experienced money diggers who had heard Black Sam's story, though had met with success contrary, they had always been dogged with ill luck of some kind or other, in consequence, as Wolfert concluded, of not going to work proper time and proper ceremonials The last attempt made by Cobus Quackenbos, who dug for whole night, and met with incredible difficulty, for as fast as he threw one shovelful of earth hole, two were thrown in by invisible hands He succeeded , however, uncover an iron chest, when terrible roaring, ramping, and raging of uncouth figures hole, and shower of blows, dealt by invisible cudgels, fairly belabored him off forbidden ground This Cobus Quackenbos had declared deathbed, there any doubt of it man that had devoted many years life to money digging, and thought ultimately succeeded had he not died recently of brain fever almshouse