 Love this scene, Captain. Look here, you. This is Captain Strong's own cabin. And no one's got any business of sitting here all right. Oh, pardon, sir. But there's someone in your cabin, sir. Well, who is it? What's that, Isaac? There's someone in the captain's cabin, sir. Who is it? I don't rightly know, sir. Well, didn't you see who it was? Yes, Mr. Wilson, that I did, sir. But the captain always locks his cabin. Don't you, Captain Strong? And I do, but I could have forgot. It wasn't locked just now, Captain. You say you've got to look at the man? I say, and pull in the face, Captain. You can rightly call it a face. What's that? What do you mean, Isaac? Yeah, yes, man. Speaker, what are you trying to tell us? I mean, sir, the man ain't human. He's nothing but a skeleton. What? Nonsense, Isaac. Oh, no, sir, and that is not. I've seen him, sir. Look plumb into his face, I did. And there's nothing there but bones. White, bleach bones, sir. Oh, that's ridiculous. Empty eye sockets and a gaping mouth. And he was writing on your slate, sir. Writing on my slate? Aye, Captain, writing with a piece of white chalk held between his fingers. Fingers with no flesh on them, sir. Well, you've been dreaming, Isaac. Come on. Let's get down to my cabin and have a look. Come along, Mr. Wilson. Right, Captain. Isaac, come on. Aye, aye, sir. Well, it's impossible for anyone to be in my cabin. All the hands are either on deck or down in the engine room. That's what I say, Captain Storm. He ain't one of the crew. He ain't rightly nobody, sir, unless you want to call a spirit somebody. Isaac, stop that sort of talk. Oh, but it ain't no sort of talk, sir. Begging you pardon, Mr. Wilson. I've seen him with my own eyes, sitting there, dressed in some sort of get-up. I ain't never laid eyes on him before. He had his back to the door, and he was writing on your slate with a chalk, Captain. I spoke to him, but he didn't pay me no mind. He just kept right on with his writing. Then I got closer to him, and he still didn't look up. So I stooped down and peered into his face I did. And then I seen he wasn't nothing but a skeleton, sir. If you want a drinkin', man, Isaac, I'd have you flogged and put in an irons. I'm not so sure he hasn't been at the cake, Captain. Begging you pardon, sir, you'll see for yourself soon enough. Here's the hatch. You first, Captain. What was it I thought? Nobody here. Oh, Captain's empty. But I'd locked this door, Captain. So whoever it was couldn't get out. Well, you must have done that all right. I certainly don't want to just now. You perceive yourself, Isaac, as if there's no one in here. No. Nobody. And no way out except through that door. I said, Captain, have a look. Yes, Mr. Wilson, when it is, you'll slate. There is writing on it. Eh? Well, here, let me see. Here. There, Captain's wrong. You see, sir? That's not your writing, is it? No. No, it isn't my writing. Then one of the men must have been in here and wrote that. No. I don't think so. Because this writing is a style and a type that was used more than 200 years ago. What? Well, let's see. Ah, I see. That is strange writing. Is English all right? Such a peculiar spelling and phrasing. Blimey, I can't read it at all. Isaac. Aye, aye, Captain. I've seen this. I can't help but believe that you saw somebody sitting here in my cabin writing on my slate. But I won't be convinced that it was a skeleton. But I tell you, sir, I. It was your imagination, Isaac. Oh, no, sir, it wasn't your imagination. I said it was your imagination. You understand? Aye, sir. No, I don't want you to open your mouth about this to the crew. You hear me? There's, well, there's some explanation. I'm not going to have you stern up the crew with this. They're all superstitious enough without that. Aye, sir. Those are orders, Isaac. I'll have you in irons if you breathe a word of this to the man. Aye, sir. That's all, Isaac. Aye, sir. Well, Captain Stone? Why do you think of it, Wilson? Most extraordinary. I'm positive Isaac did see someone in this cabin. But surely not a, not a fleshless creature. I don't know. Isaac is a sober, steady sort of person. But don't found it, man. He hasn't much imagination. Well, whoever heard of a skeleton aboard a ship, much less one that could ride on a slate. Stranger things than that have happened at sea. You know that. Now, now that I do, but I can't convince myself that what Isaac saw was rarely some fleshless creature without a brain or a heart or eyes. Can you make out the writing on the slate? Yeah, I think so. Says, it is not correct the information you have about the sea fandom. Change your course six degrees northeast to location 26 degrees, seven minutes longitude, 18 degrees, nine minutes latitude. Jonathan Strange. Jonathan Strange? Oh, no, it can't be. He was the famous captain of the Spanish galleon, the sea phantom, the one we're hoping to locate. Yeah, it was. Jonathan Strange, dead for 224 years, lost in a gale in 1718. Yes, but not in the position this message on the slate directs us to. Oh, no, indeed. The sea phantom was supposed to have found it at 20 degrees longitude. The message says 26 degrees and seven minutes. Yes. Could this be a trick? A trick, Captain? Someone else who's heard of the immense treasure that went down with the sea phantom. Someone who's trying to steer us over a course, get to the treasure themselves. I doubt that. What do you say you doubt it, Mr. Wesson? Well, sir, we've kept the entire expedition completely secret. Not even the crew know what we're up to. We've tried to keep the entire expedition a secret. I'm positive I haven't mentioned to anyone. Nor have I, Captain Strong. When I stumbled upon the information about the sea phantom, I knew there was an excellent opportunity to recover almost a million dollars worth of gold. Naturally, I needed a boat. You were the first one I thought of. Neither of us would have had a reason for disclosing our knowledge about the treasure. That's just it. That's why I'm so inclined to believe Isaac was telling us the truth. About the thing without flesh writing this message? Precisely. Ah, that's unbelievable. Even so, Captain, you must admit that a man who's been dead more than 200 years certainly wouldn't be much more than a skeleton. Isn't that right? You mean a good heavens. You mean this message was actually written by Donovan strains himself. I mean exactly that. Hmm. I wonder. What about it, Captain? Do we change the course? I don't know. What's your advice? Normally, I'm not superstitious. But, well, what can we do? I've never believed in ghosts or spirits up to now. But that message on that slate certainly is convincing. Then you're in favor of following the instructions. Well, Mr. Wesson? Yes. Let's change the course and go to the spot the message mentions. If you're willing to take a chance, I certainly am. Yes, who's there? Well, come in and stop that noise. Oh, if wasn't Thunder's gotten into you waking me up in the middle of the night, what time is it anyway? Hey, well, sir, midnight. Midnight? A big day ahead tomorrow. Oh, confounded man, what do you want? Well, I'm standing watch alone tonight, sir. I maybe I should have told this to the captain, but I come to you first. Well? I've just sighted a boat to the port side, sir. Well, have you identified her? Oh, no, sir. You see? Well, she ain't carrying no light, sir. No light? Oh, no, sir. And she's not like any ship I've ever seen, sir. Hmm. To the port side, you say? Aye, sir. She's riding with full sail. What? Aye, sir. She looks to me like one of those old time boat you see in pictures. Hand me my boots there, Isaac. I'll come up on deck and have a look. Blow, sir, you see? Not a sign of life aboard it, sir. And the moon's full tonight. Look, man, look. What, Mr. Wilson? That name on the bow. I can't see that far, sir. My eyes are. That name, the sea phantom. Sea phantom, sir. Yes, no wonder she's carrying no lights. No wonder there's no one aboard. What do you mean, sir? Isaac, if you've never seen a ghost ship, take a look at that boat out there. Ghost ship? Yes. The sea phantom went down in these waters more than 200 years ago. Blow me down, sir. Are you having a joke with me, Mr. Wilson? No. No, this is no joke. That's a ghost ship right enough. You watch, she'll be gone in a minute or two. I beg your pardon, sir. But that boat's real. Ghost ships always look real, Isaac. But look you, sir. She's close enough to see. She's within throwing distance, I do believe. Here, this belaying pin here, Mr. Wilson. I'll try to throw it aboard the sea phantom. Good. You watch. That pin will just go through thin air. We'll see, sir. Well, here it goes. There, sir. You hear that? She is real. But that boat's so old, she should have fallen apart years ago. And besides that, she's supposed to be at the bottom of the Atlantic. She looks old enough, all right, sir. But I don't understand what you mean about her supposed to be. Isaac. Isaac. Laura boat. Yes, Khan founded a boat, Laura won it once. Are we going aboard the sea phantom, Mr. Wilson? I am, yes. Now Laura boat to the port side, and double quick about it. Stop rowing now, Isaac. He's up alongside. I'm tired of that row hanging there. Right, sir. There. All set, sir. Right. Now you stay here and watch Isaac while I go aboard. If I'm not back in a half hour, come aboard looking for me. Aye, aye, sir. Half an hour, sir. If you're not back by then, sir, I'll come aboard after you. Keep a sharp look out, Isaac. Let me know if you see anybody aboard. Aye, aye, sir. A sign of life having been here for score upon score of years, rotting timbers, sea soaked deck, twisted, tangled ropes, empty kegs with rusted hoops and warped steves, strips of time-worn sails, and canvas swaying on the masts. Everything so quiet, quiet as though in reverence the dead. Here, the hatch. Captain's quarters must be down here. Let me see what's that. An entire human skeleton slumped here in the corner of the cabin, as though a man had plumped himself up there and died. Exactly, my friend. Who's that? Did someone speak? Certainly me. But where are you? Over here. But I don't see you. There's no one in this room but myself. Yourself and that gentleman slumped there in the corner. Who are you? My name is Jonathan Strange. Jonathan Strange? You're the skipper of the sea phantom. That I am, Jonathan Strange, captain of the sea phantom, sailing with a cargo of gold for the Spanish ruler. But your boat went down in a gale 200 years ago. So history says yes, but men do not know everything. I don't understand. The sea phantom was no victim of a storm at sea. Oh, no, my friend. She was a victim of a cruel and vicious man. I still don't understand. Look, you. You see the russet iron ring there on the floor by your feet? Yes. Take hold of it. Pull the trapdoor to my cabin. That's it. Maybe difficult. Use your strength on it. To the more force now. Now that's it. There. You see? Gold. Bar upon bar of solid gold. Yes, gold for the king of Spain. And chests of coins and jewels. One day over the queen, but Jose would have them for his own. He intends to mutiny the crew and steal the treasure that had been entrusted to us. Who's this Jose? Jose Menel, a wicked and cold-hearted fiend. Even now, the crew is waiting for me to leave this cabin. They know they'll never enter here while life is in my body. But surely there's some escape. No, none. They think I remain here to starve to death. They're fools. They do not know that they're about to perish, like the rats they are. What do you mean? Don't you smell the smoke? Listen, I'm going to kill the flames. Yes. Yes, I do. They cannot escape in the boats. Because I foresaw this mutiny and put the live boats out of commission. But can't you escape? No, of course not. For you to escape, you must make haste, my friend. Oh. The same way you entered here, of course. Hurry now, my friend, and take this with you. What is it? What are you giving me? You see, hurry now. There's no time to waste. Soon the ship will be one mass of roaring flames, and none of us will be left alive. Can't I take you with me? Can't you make yourself a parent so I can see you and take you along? No, it doesn't matter. But let me warn you, with my life I protected the treasures of the king and queen. Through our poor eternity, I'll guard those treasures. It will not be wise for any man to attempt to obtain them for his own. Yes, Jonathan Strange. I believe I understand exactly what you mean. That's why you brought me here to show me. Exactly. I was hurrying. Mr. Wilson, sir. Are you in there, Mr. Wilson? Isaac, is that you? I said, blow me down, Mr. Wilson. This beastly boat's a fire. If we don't get over here in the jibby, we'll be paying a visit to Davy's own block before we die, sir. Captain Strong, that's exactly what happened. By repeat, it was no nightmare. Isaac here can vouch for that. It's the very truth, Captain Strong. Word for word. So help me, heaven. And that was fair warning. Whoever attempts to get the treasures of the sea phantom is doomed. Aye, sir. Just as those mutineers were doomed 200 years ago, sir, and John, very odd. I'm amazed you or the others of the crew went awakened by the sound of the fire. No, none of us heard a sound. The men don't even know about it now. I wouldn't have known any about it myself if you two hadn't told me your story. If I hadn't seen those bits of charred wood floating on the surface this morning. It was a huge treasure, Captain. I saw it in its hiding place beneath the Skipper's cabin. And you got none of it? Not a single bit. Oh, wait. I almost forgot. Just before I left the boat, this thing was handed to me. Handed to you? But I thought you said there was nothing in that cabin but a pile of bones. Yes. Yes, that is right. But this seemed to come well almost out of nowhere. And it was placed very firmly in my hands. He's sure enough had it in his hands when I broke into the cabin, sir. Let's have a look. What? This was the ship's log. The log? Yes. The complete log of the Sea Phantom's voyage from the date of sailing right on up through the mutiny. Look, this writing. It's the same hand. The writing on my slate and the writing on this paper are the very same curved-for-curved angle-for-angle. Here, let me see. I say, Captain. Yes, Mr. Wilson. Look here, on this last page. It reads, now that it has become my solemn duty to protect the treasures which have been entrusted to me, I will send the Sea Phantom to her ocean grave together with the treasure. This is my course, as I see it. God assist me. Jonathan Strange, May 29, 1718. The Sea Phantom. Tonight's Tale of Dark Fantasy by Scott Bishop. Ben Morris was heard tonight as Mr. Wilson. Fred Wayne played Captain Strong. Muir Height was Isaac, and Garland Moss was Captain Jonathan Strange, Skipper of the Sea Phantom. Next Friday at this time, we'll bring you another dark fantasy drama. Being the 13th story in this series, and next Friday being Friday the 13th, Scott Bishop defies superstition utterly and completely to bring you one of his most exciting and unusual tales. Listen for an adventure laid upon a sunny tropical island where all seems peaceful and serene, but where a grim and vicious destiny festers slowly into breathtaking, unbelievable reality. Dark Fantasy originates each Friday night in the WKY Studios, Oklahoma City. Tom Paxton speaking, this is the National Broadcasting Company.