Weird Tales/Volume 4/Issue 2/Providential Warning at Sea
Providential Warning at Sea
CAPTAIN THOMAS ROGERS, commander of a ship called the Society, was bound on a voyage from London to Virginia, about the year 1694.
The ship was hired in London, and being sent light, as they call it, to Virginia for a loading of tobacco, had not many goods in her, outward bound, perhaps about two or three hundred tons, which was not reckoned half her loading, the ship being very large, above five hundred tons burthen.
They had a pretty good passage, and the day before had an observation; whereupon the mates and proper officers brought their books and east their reckonings with the captain, to see how near they were to the coast of America; they all agreed that they were at least about a hundred leagues distant from the Capes of Virginia. Upon these customary reckonings, and heaving the lead, and finding no ground at a hundred fathom, they set the watch, and the captain turned in.
The weather was good, a moderate gale of wind and blowing fair for the coast so that the ship might have run about twelve or fifteen leagues in the night after the captain was in his cabin. He fell asleep and slept very soundly for about three hours, when he awoke and lay till he heard his second mate turn out and relieve the watch; and then he called his chief mate as he was going off from the watch and asked him how all things fared, who answered that all was well and the gale freshened and they ran at a great rate; but it was a fair wind and a fine clear night so the captain went to sleep again. About an hour after he had been asleep, he dreamed that a man pulled him and awoke him and he did awake. He said the thing told him to get up and look aboard. But he laid still and composed himself to sleep, and was suddenly awoke again and thus several times; and though he knew not what was the reason, yet he found it was impossible for him to go to sleep, and still he thought he heard the vision say, "Turn out and look aboard." He lay in this uneasiness near two hours, but at last it increased so upon him that he could lie no longer, but got up, put on his watch-gown, and went out on the quarter-deck; there he found the second mate walking about and the boatswain upon the forecastle, the night fine and clear, a fair wind and all well as before.
The mate at first did not know him; but calling, "Who's there?" the captain answered, and the mate returned, "Who, the captain! what's the matter, Sir?" "I don't know," said the captain, "but I have been very uneasy these two hours and somebody or my fancy, bade me turn out and look aboard, though I know not what can be the meaning of it." "There can be nothing in it, but some dream," replied the mate. Said the captain, "How does the ship cape?" "South-west by South, fair for the coast and the wind, East by North," was the answer. "That's all very good," said the captain, and after some other usual questions, he turned about to go back to his cabin; when, as if it had been somebody that stood by him had spoke, it came into his mind like a voice, "Heave the lead, heave the lead." Upon this he turned again to his second mate: "Mate, when did you heave the lead? What water had you?" "About an hour ago, sixty fathom," said the mate. "Heave again," said the captain. "There's no manner of occasion, Sir," returned the mate, "but if you please it shall be done." "I don't know," said the captain, "'tis needless, I think!" and so was going away again, but was, as it were, forced to turn back as before and said to the mate, "I know not what ails me, but I can't be easy; come, call a hand aft, and heave the lead." Accordingly a hand was called, and the lead being cast, they had ground at eleven fathom. This surprised them all, but much more than at the next cast it came up seven fathom. Upon this the captain bade put the helm a lee, and about ship, all hands being ordered to back the sails, as is usual in such case. The proper orders being obeyed, the ship stayed and presently came about and when she was about and before the sail filled, she had but four fathom and a half water under her stern; as soon as she filled and stood off, they had seven fathom again, and at the next cast eleven, and so on to twenty fathom; so he stood off to seaward all the rest of the watch, to get into deep water, till day-break; when, it being a clear morning, there were the Capes of Virginia and all the coast of America in fair view under their stern, and but a few leagues distant. Had they stood on but one cable's length further, as they were going, they had been bump ashore (as the sailors call it) and certainly lost their ship, if not their lives.