Very soon, the ship sailed alongside the one opposite them, keeping pace with it.
Yet strangely, no one could be seen aboard that ship. Its deck was utterly deserted.
"Call out!" the captain ordered.
"We are the Mary! Is anyone there?" a sailor shouted toward the other ship.
He called out three times in a row, but the deck remained empty, and no answer came.
At once, unease spread among the sailors.
"C-Captain, could it be a ghost ship?" one sailor stammered, trembling so hard his teeth chattered.
"Nonsense! First mate, take some men aboard and have a look!" the captain roared.
The first mate reluctantly accepted the order. Taking two sailors with him, he jumped across to see what was going on.
Everyone present watched the three men leap onto the deck with worried, fearful eyes, yet no one emerged from inside the ship to question them.
Its mooring ropes had snapped, and its sails swayed in the wind, striking the mast one moment and the crossbeam the next with sharp slapping sounds.
The first mate trembled as he stepped forward a few paces. He discovered that the forward cargo hold was open, its hatch cover lying face-up on the deck.
When he looked down inside, he let out an "Ah!"
"What is it? What happened?" the captain roared, ordering the ship brought steadily closer.
"Captain, it isn't a ghost ship. Everyone inside has been killed." After his initial cry of alarm, the first mate calmed down instead. As long as it was not some mysterious ghost ship, a few dead men were not all that terrifying.
"Bring the ships together and secure them. We're going aboard to take a look!" The captain frowned, thought for a moment, then gave the order.
The two ships were soon properly drawn