Would he see anything when he turned the corner that led down to the wharf?
And if anything,--what?
Then he shut his eyes and turned the corner.
The schooner was there.

No longer spectral or shadowy, she lay in plain sight by the wharf, her trim lines pleasant to look at, her decks shining with neatness, her canvas all spread out to dry, for the night dew had been heavy.

Lifting his fearful eyes, the child saw the bronze figure standing in the bow, but now it was plainly seen to be a man, a swarthy man, with close-curled black hair, and bright, dark eyes.

Two other men were lounging about the deck, but John took little heed of them.

This man, the strangest he had ever seen, claimed his whole thought.