The Mermaid
Among the tossing waves off Port-au-Prince, the marauding vessel slumbered in the dusky calm. Few men littered the moon-washed decks, most slept soundly below. The sea had been smooth all day, but had begun to turn rough and choppy. Alone, the Captain lay awake listening for the tappings, the scratchings, and the scrapings which had disrupted his nights and haunted his mind for nearly a fortnight. Initially dismissing the disturbances as noisy rodents beneath, he had come to realize that the sounds came from without, the terrible clawing accompanied by the occasional splash and lurch of the great ship. Rising silently from his bed, the Captain slipped from his cabin and made his way to the quarterdeck, taking care not...