The Sea-Story Megapack: 30 Classic Nautical Works
Jack Williamson
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT INFO
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
THE SHIP THAT SAW A GHOST, by Frank Norris
GHOST LANTERNS, by Alan B. LeMay
THE DANGER FROM THE DEEP, by Ralph Milne Farley
THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE OF A CHIEF MATE, by W. Clark Russell
THE DERELICT, by H. M. Tomlinson
THE TEMPLE, by H. P. Lovecraft
A DAUGHTER OF THE SEA, by Charles Wesley Sanders
THE ADVENTURES OF BILLY TOPSAIL, by Norman Duncan
BILLY TOPSAIL & COMPANY, by Norman Duncan
THE SEA-WOLF, by Jack London
THE SEA FOGS, by Robert Louis Stevenson
THE DOLLAR, by Morgan Robertson
THE “REXMEL,” by Ralph Milne Farley
A FIGHT WITH A CANNON, by Victor Hugo
MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE, by Edgar Allan Poe
THE CRUISE OF THE SHINING LIGHT, by Norman Duncan
“WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD,” by Morgan Robertson
THE BRAIN OF THE BATTLE-SHIP, by Morgan Robertson
THE WIGWAG MESSAGE, by Morgan Robertson
THE TRADE-WIND, by Morgan Robertson
SALVAGE, by Morgan Robertson
BETWEEN THE MILLSTONES, by Morgan Robertson
THE BATTLE OF THE MONSTERS, by Morgan Robertson
FROM THE ROYAL-YARD DOWN, by Morgan Robertson
NEEDS MUST WHEN THE DEVIL DRIVES, by Morgan Robertson
WHEN GREEK MEETS GREEK, by Morgan Robertson
PRIMORDIAL, by Morgan Robertson
THE STRIPED CHEST, by Arthur Conan Doyle
THAT LITTLE SQUARE BOX, by Arthur Conan Doyle
THE DOOM FROM PLANET 4, by Jack Williamson
THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
COPYRIGHT INFO
The Sea-Story Megapack is copyright © 2013 by Wildside Press LLC.
* * * *
“The Ship That Saw a Ghost,” by Frank Norris, originally appeared in 1902.
“Ghost Lanterns” by Alan B. LeMay, originally appeared in Adventure, December 20, 1922.
“The Danger from the Deep,” by Ralph Milne Farley, originally appeared in Astounding Stories, August, 1931.
“The Extraordinary Adventure of a Chief Mate,” by W. Clark Russell, is taken from The Mystery of the Ocean Star and Other Stories (1888).
“The Derelict,” by H. M. Tomlinson, originally appeared in 1920.
“The Temple,” by H. P. Lovecraft, originally appeared in Weird Tales, February 1925.
“A Daughter of the Sea,” by Charles Wesley Sanders, originally appeared in Argosy, February 18, 1923.
The Adventures of Billy Topsail, by Norman Duncan, originally appeared in 1906.
Billy Topsail & Company, by Norman Duncan, originally appeared in 1910.
The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London, originally appeared in 1904.
“The Sea Fogs,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, originally appeared in 1887.
“The Dollar,” by Morgan Robertson, is taken from Land Ho! (1896).
The “Rexmel,” by Ralph Milne Farley, originally appeared in Fantasy Magazine #32, July 1935.
The Cruise of the Shining Light, by Norman Duncan, originally appeared in 1907.
“‘Where Angels Fear to Tread,’” by Morgan Robertson, was first published in the Atlantic Monthly.
“Salvage,” by Morgan Robertson, was first published in the Century Magazine.
“The Brain of the Battle-Ship,” by Morgan Robertson, was first published in The Saturday Evening Post.
“The Wigwag Message,” by Morgan Robertson, was first published in The Saturday Evening Post.
“Between the Millstones,” by Morgan Robertson, was first published in The Saturday Evening Post.
“The Battle of the Monsters,” by Morgan Robertson, was first published in The Saturday Evening Post.
“The Trade-Wind,” by Morgan Robertson, was first published in Collier’s Weekly.
“From the Royal-Yard Down,” by Morgan Robertson, was first published in Ainslee’s Magazine.
“Needs Must when the Devil Drives” by Morgan Robertson, was first published by McClure’s Syndicate.
“When Greek Meets Greek,” by Morgan Robertson, was first published by McClure’s Syndicate.
“Primordial,” by Morgan Robertson, was first published in Harper’s Monthly Magazine.
“MS. Found in a Bottle,” by Edgar Allan Poe, was originally published in 1831.
“The Striped Chest,” by Arthur Conan Doyle, is taken from The Dealings of Captain Sharkey and Other Tales of Pirates (1905).
“That Little Square Box,” by Arthur Conan Doyle, is taken from The Dealings of Captain Sharkey and Other Tales of Pirates (1905).
“The Doom from Planet 4,” by Jack Williamson, originally appeared in Astounding Stories, July, 1931.
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was writtenin 1797.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has proved to be one of our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”
The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt, Mary Wickizer Burgess, Sam Cooper, Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, Robert Reginald. A. E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!).
—John Betancourt
Publisher, Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidepress.com
A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS
The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)
RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?
Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).
Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.
TYPOS
Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.
If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
MYSTERY
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Charlie Chan Megapack
The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack
The Detective Megapack
The Father Brown Megapack
The Girl Detective Megapack
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack
The First Mystery Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Raffles Megapack
The Victorian Mystery Megapack<
br />
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
GENERAL INTEREST
The Adventure Megapack
The Baseball Megapack
The Cat Story Megapack
The Second Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Christmas Megapack
The Second Christmas Megapack
The Classic American Short Stories Megapack, Vol. 1.
The Classic Humor Megapack
The Dog Story Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The Horse Story Megapack
The Military Megapack
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack
The Martian Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Science-Fantasy Megapack
The First Science Fiction Megapack
The Second Science Fiction Megapack
The Third Science Fiction Megapack
The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack
The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack
The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack
The Seventh Science Fiction Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
The Steampunk Megapack
The Time Travel Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
HORROR
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Second Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The Ghost Story Megapack
The Second Ghost Story Megapack
The Third Ghost Story Megapack
The Haunts & Horrors Megapack
The Horror Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Macabre Megapack
The Second Macabre Megapack
The Mummy Megapack
The Occult Detective Megapack
The Vampire Megapack
The Werewolf Megapack
WESTERNS
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The Buffalo Bill Megapack
The Cowboy Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Western Megapack
The Second Western Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
YOUNG ADULT
The Boys’ Adventure Megapack
The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The G.A. Henty Megapack
The Girl Detectives Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Pinocchio Megapack
The Rover Boys Megapack
The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack
The Tom Swift Megapack
AUTHOR MEGAPACKS
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Guy de Maupassant Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The Dashiell Hammett Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Selma Lagerlof Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack
The George Barr McCutcheon Megapack
The Talbot Mundy Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Rafael Sabatini Megapack
The Saki Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY
The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)
The Wildside Book of Fantasy
The Wildside Book of Science Fiction
Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries
THE SHIP THAT SAW A GHOST, by Frank Norris
Very much of this story must remain untold, for the reason that if it were definitely known what business I had aboard the tramp steam-freighter Glarus, three hundred miles off the South American coast on a certain summer’s day some few years ago, I would very likely be obliged to answer a great many personal and direct questions put by fussy and impertinent experts in maritime law—who are paid to be inquisitive. Also, I would get “Ally Bazan,” Strokher and Hardenberg into trouble.
Suppose, on that certain summer’s day, you had asked of Lloyd’s agency where the Glarus was, and what was her destination and cargo. You would have been told that she was twenty days out from Callao, bound north to San Francisco in ballast; that she had been spoken by the bark Medea and the steamer Benevento; that she was reported to have blown out a cylinder head, but being manageable, was proceeding on her way under sail.
That is what Lloyd’s would have answered.
If you know something of the ways of ships and what is expected of them, you will understand that the Glarus to be some half a dozen hundred miles south of where Lloyd’s would have her, and to be still going south, under full steam, was a scandal that would have made her brothers and sisters ostracize her finally and forever.
And that is curious, too. Humans may indulge in vagaries innumerable, and may go far afield in the way of lying; but a ship may not so much as quibble without suspicion. The least lapse of “regularity,” the least difficulty in squaring performance with intuition, and behold she is on the black list and her captain, owners, officers, agents and consignors, and even supercargoes are asked to explain.
And the Glarus was already on the blacklist. From the beginning her stars had been malign. As the Breda, she had first lost her reputation, seduced into a filibustering escapade down the South American coasts, where in the end a plain-clothes United States detective—that is to say a revenue cutter—arrested her off Buenos Ayres and brought her home, a prodigal daughter, besmirched and disgraced.
After that she was in some dreadful black-birding business in a far quarter of the South Pacific; and after that—her name changed finally to the Glarus—poached seals for a syndicate of Dutchmen who lived in Tacoma, and who afterwards built a club house out of what she earned.
And after that we got her.
We got her, I say, through Ryder’s South Pacific Exploitation Company. The “President” had picke
d out a lovely, lively little deal for Hardenberg, Strokher and Ally Bazan (the three Black Crows), which he swore would make them “independent rich” the rest of their respective lives. It is a promising deal (B. 300 it is on Ryder’s map), and if you want to know more about it you may write to ask Ryder what B. 300 is. If he chooses to tell you that is his affair.
For B. 300—let us confess it—is, as Hardenberg puts it, as crooked as a dog’s hind leg. It is as risky as barratry. If you pull it off you may—after paying Ryder his share—divide sixty-five, or possibly sixty-seven, thousand dollars betwixt you and your associates. If you fail, and you are perilously like to fail, you will be sure to have a man or two of your companions shot, maybe yourself obliged to pistol certain people, and in the end fetch up at Tahiti, prisoner in a French patrol boat.
Observe that B. 300 is spoken of as still open. It is so, for the reason that the Three Black Crows did not pull it off. It still stands marked up in red ink on the map that hangs over Ryder’s desk in the San Francisco office; and anyone can have a chance at it who will meet Cyrus Ryder’s terms. Only he can’t get the Glarus for the attempt.
For the trip to the island after B. 300 was the last occasion on which the Glarus will smell blue water or taste the trades. She will never clear again. She is lumber.
And yet the Glarus on this very blessed day of 1902 is riding to her buoys off Sausalito in San Francisco bay, complete in every detail (bar a broken propeller shaft), not a rope missing, not a screw loose, not a plank started—a perfectly equipped steam-freighter.
But you may go along the Front in San Francisco from Fisherman’s Wharf to the China steamships’ docks and shake your dollars under the seamen’s noses, and if you so much as whisper Glarus they will edge suddenly off and look at you with scared suspicion, and then, as like as not, walk away without another word. No pilot will take the Glarus out; no captain will navigate her; no stoker will feed her fires; no sailor will walk her decks. The Glarus is suspect. She has seen a ghost.
* * * *
It happened on our voyage to the Island after this same B. 300. We had stood well off from shore for day after day, and Hardenberg had shaped our course so far from the track of navigation that since the Benevento had hulled down and vanished over the horizon, no stitch of canvas nor smudge of smoke had we seen. We had passed the Equator long since, and would fetch a long circuit to the southard, and bear up against the Island by a circuitous route. This to avoid being spoken. It was tremendously essential that the Glarus should not be spoken. I suppose, no doubt, that it was the knowledge of our isolation that impressed me with the dreadful remoteness of our position. Certainly the sea in itself looks no different at a thousand than at a hundred miles from shore. But as day after day I came out on deck, at noon, after ascertaining our position on the chart (a mere pin point in a reach of empty paper), the sight of the ocean weighed down upon me with an infinitely great awesomeness—and I was no new hand to the high seas even then.
