Read "The Ghost Pirates" by William Hope Hodgson online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
It occurred in the first watch, just after six bells. I was forward, sitting on the fore-hatch. No one was about the maindeck. The night was exceedingly fine; and the wind had dropped away almost to nothing, so that the ship was very quiet.
Suddenly, I heard the Second Mate's voice --