Originally published in Terrific Register (Sherwood, Jones, and Co.; 1825).
When Mr. Walker was setting out on his second cruise in the Boscawen private ship of war, in 1745, a report made by the French officers, when the ship was taken, that a gunner's wife had been murdered on board, began now to be looked upon by the men, as ominous of the misfortunes which would attend the cruise. One of the seamen, remarkable for his sobriety and good character, one night alarmed the ship, by declaring he had seen a strange appearance of a woman, who informed him, among other particulars, that the ship would be lost. The story spread among the crew, and laid such hold of the imagination, as would have been attended with the most serious consequences, had not Mr. Walker contrived a device for turning it all into ridicule, and with great presence of mind related the following anecdote to the assembled ship's crew.
In June, 1734, Mr. Walker lying at an anchor at Cadiz, in his ship, the Elizabeth, a gentleman of Ireland, whose name was Burnet, was then on board, going to take his passage over to Ireland. This gentleman was a particular acquaintance of Mr. Walker, and he was extremely fond of him, being a man of great good sense, and very lively in conversation. The night before the affair we speak of happened, the subject turned upon apparitions of deceased friends, in which this person seemed much to believe, and told many strange stories as authorities for them, besides giving some metaphysical arguments, chiefly that the natural fear we had of them proved the soul's confession of them. But Mr. Walker, who was entirely of another way of thinking, treated all his arguments with ridicule. Mr. Burnet, who was bred a physician, was curious to try how far fancy might be wrought on in an unbeliever, and resolved to prove the power of this natural fear over the senses: a strange way, you will say, to convince the mind by attacking the imagination; or, if it was curiosity to see the operations of fear work on fancy, it was too nice an experiment to anatomize a friend's mind for information only. Or perhaps the humour of the thought was the greatest motive; for he was a man of a gay temper, and frolicsome.
About noon, as they were standing, with more of the ship's company, upon deck, near the forecastle, looking at some of the governor's guard boats making fast to a buoy of a ship in the bay, in order to watch the money, that it might not be carried out of the country, Mr. Burnet proposed, as a plan for a wager, he being a remarkable swimmer, to leap off the gunnel of the ship, and dive all the way quite under water, from the ship to the boats at that distance, and so rise up upon them, to startle the people at watch in them. A wager being laid, he undressed, jumped off, and dived entirely out of sight. Every body crowded forwards, keeping their eyes at the distance where he was expected to come up; but he never rising to their expectation, and the time running past their hopes of ever seeing him more, it was justly concluded be was drowned, and everybody was in the greatest pain and concern; especially those, who by laying the wager, though it themselves in some measure accessary to his death. But he, by skilful diving, having turned the other way behind the ship, and being also very active, got up by the quarter ladder in at the cabin window, whilst everybody was busy and in confusion, at the forward part of the ships then concealing himself the remaining part of the day in a closet in the state room, wrapped himself up in a linen night-gown of Mr. Walker's. Evening coming on, the whole ship's company being very melancholy at the accident, Mr. Walker retired with a fiend or two to his cabin, where, in their conversation, they often lamented the sad accident and loss of their friend and dear companion, speaking of every merit he had when living, which is the unenvied praise generally given to our friends, when they can receive nothing else from us. The supposed dead man remained still quiet, and heard more good things said to his memory, than perhaps he would else have ever in his life time heard spoken to his face. As soon as it was night, Mr. Walker's company left him; and he being low in spirits went to bed, where lying still pensive on the late loss of his companion and friend, and the moon shining direct through the windows, he perceived the folding doors of the closet to open; and, looking steadfast towards them, saw something which could not fail startling him as he imagined it a representation of a human figure: but recalling his better senses, he was fain to persuade himself, it was only the workings of his disturbed fancy, and turned away his eyes. However they soon again returned in search of the object; and seeing it now plainly advance upon him, in a slow and constant step, he recognized the image of his departed friend. He has not been ashamed to own he felt terrors which shook him to the inmost soul. The mate, who lay in the steerage at the back of the cabin, divided only by a bulk-head, was not yet a-bed; and hearing Mr. Walker challenge with a loud and alarmed voice, "What are you?" ran to him with a candle, and meeting Mr. Burnet, in the linen gown, down drops the mate, without so much as an ejaculation. Mr. Burnet, now beginning himself to be afraid, runs for a bottle of smelling spirits he knew lay in the window, and applied them to the nose and temples of the swooning mate. Mr. Walker seeing the ghost so very alert and good-natured, began to recover from his own apprehension, when Mr. Burnet cried out to him, "Sir, I must ask your pardon; I fear I have carried the jest too far; I swam round and came in at the cabin window; I meant, sir, to prove to you the natural awe the bravest must be under at such appearances, and have, I hope, convinced you in yourself" "Sir," says Mr. Walker, glad of being awakened from a terrible dream, and belief of his friend's death, "you have given me a living instance; there needs no proof; but pray take care you do not bring death amongst us in real earnest." He then lent his aid in the recovery of the poor mate, who, as he retrieved his senses, still relapsed at the sight of Mr. Burnet: to that Mr. Walker was obliged to make him entirely disappear, and go call others to his assistance; which took up some considerable time in doing, every body, as Mr. Burnct advanced to them, being more or less surprised: but they were all called to by him, and told the manner of the cheat, and then they were by degrees convinced of his reality; though every one was before thoroughly satisfied of his death. I being persuaded that this story carries a lesson in it, which speaks for itself, shall conclude it by mentioning this circumstance, that the poor mate never rightly recovered the use of his senses from that hour. Nature had received too great a shock, by which reason was flung from her seat, and could never regain it afterwards; a constant stupidity hung around him, and be could never be brought to look direct at Mr. Burnet afterwards, though he was as brave a man as ever went, in all his senses, to face death by day-light.