For three days Mr.Bunter, half-conscious did not say a word. He looked at people sensibly enough but seemed unable to hear any questions put to him. The second officer remarked to the captain, in connection with the affair："Those brass plates on the steps of the bridge-ladder are beastly dangerous things."
"Are they?”replied Captain Johns, sourly. "It takes more than a brass plate to account for an able-bodied man crashing down in that fashion. And the weather fine, everything dry, and the ship going along as steady as a church!"
On the fourth day the chief officer looked decidedly better. He could hear and understand and could even speak in a feeble voice.
“Well, Mr. Bunter,"said Captain Johns, going in to see him,"Can you give us your account of this accident?"
Bunter moved his bandaged head slightly and fixed his cold blue stare on the captain s puzzled face. "No accident, nhe breathed.
“Well, what made you have that fall, then?”
Bunter raised himself a little, looked straight into the captain s eyes and said in a distinct whisper/*you were right!"
"Bless my soul! "exclaimed Captain Johns. "Do you mean you had a supernatural experience that night? You saw a ghost on my ship?"
Unwillingness, shame, disgust, would have been visible on poor Bunter's face if a good part of it had not been wrapped in bandages. He made a great effort and answered,“Yes, I have seen."
“And did it—did it knock you down the bridge-ladder?”
"Come! Am I the sort of man to be knocked down by a ghost?"
Captain Johns pointed a finger at Bunter, "You've been terrified/'he said. “That's what's the matter. Even the man at the wheel was scared, though he couldn't see anything. He felt the supernatural. You've been punished because you wouldn't believe,Mr. Bunter. ”
"Suppose I have, "said Bunter. "You don't know what I saw. And I cant tell you what it was like. Every man has his own ghosts. I stepped back. I don't remember anything else."
“The man at the wheel said you went backwards as if something had hit you.”
“It was sort of inward blow,M Bunter explained. "Aren't you satisfied now that I believe?"
What had happened to Mr. Bunter?