Winkle: the Eel-Man 159 



that at last I saw Winkle's ghost sitting in 

 the door-way. I knew now that I had un- 

 dergone too great excitement and was likely 

 to be ill. Nothing was natural. A strange 

 idea now took possession of me. Had I 

 too been drowned, and was it but the ghost 

 of myself that was now coming back to the 

 cabin ; phantom to meet phantom and there 

 fight ? I felt, at least, in a defiant mood, and 

 struggled with the oar, for the waters were 

 now tenacious as pitch, and, in spite of all 

 my efforts, the boat stood still. For the 

 moment I did not realize that I was in a 

 thick mat of weeds. This was my first 

 step towards a sane view of the situation, 

 and then I strained my eyes to better see 

 the ghost, praying the while that it might 

 prove some trick of light and shade. With 

 the strength born of desperation I made a 

 final effort and brought the boat to the land- 

 ing. It came in violent contact with the 

 stake to which it was tied when not in use, 

 and the noise of the collision caused Winkle's 

 ghost to move. I stood and stared, and 

 Winkle, in the flesh, looked up, and I met 

 again that searching gaze of his I knew so 

 well. How I left the boat and reached the 



