The ghoste of Nikkouloulse

One night aboarde the steame shippe Lussitinia, There was a strange man whos name was Nickoulas, and he wore specktacles, and a darke grey bearde, and long eye-browes, and a vest upon his bosome. Next to him was a dressre, which was laden with trincketes, and hobble-hobbes, but the moste treasured posseision was a compasse, which was made of a strange metal, given to him by his comrade in the War, and who told him that it was from the North Landes, and that it conteyned magick powers. 

Suddenle, upon the rocking of the shippe in the night due to the moone's strange prowesses, Nikous awoke suddenly, and he was drenched in a colde sweate, much like that of an oignoin. He glanced at his pocket-watch, and he saw that it was foure in the mourning, hardly a tyme to go to the biscuite-hole, but never the less, he ventured out of his bedde, for lacke of the sleepe in his eyes. He navigated across the tourtous pathes of the shipps decke, until he reached the librarie, whereupon he commenced his travailes, which entailed a most elabourate diagressione of his life, as a traveller, and a marchante. However, the ills which shook him to the bone forbade any such werke, and, seeking to balance his humours, went to the out skirtes of the galleye, on which he gathered some sausages, and some hard tack, and some millet pouder, and he ground them up into a paste, which he moulded into ingotes, and which he boiled in hott watter, and which he ate with mustarde, which he pilffered from the cup board. 

It was at this pointe that a most strange thing happened to Mr Nikkoulase, so strange such that were I to describe it to you nowe, you should hardly believe itte, being a man of rationel means, and logickal thingking, and I should not blame you for that, being a gentle-man. Instead, I shall account only was establisshed to be true by latter investigitators, and also what was discouered upon analysing the contents of Mr Nikols note-booke. Indeede, it is true that upon that very nighte, the captaine of the shippe noted a severe rocking of the maste upon the houre of five, so too did the man-upon-the-deck, and the night-watch-man, and did the cheife praetor concurr, so we may establiche it as the truthe. However, it is at this pointe that Mr nikoulasse did sweare upon the bybel, that he did see, by his very eyes, a phantasm, or an apparitione, if you wille, that was most manifested upon the corridores to the vessel, and which he said to irradiate with a strange lighte, which was purpel, and bleue, and strange in its eminense. 

The forme of this emininse was that of his depareted comrade, Mr Kesslere, who was slaine at the battle of Inglethorpe, and who, on all accountes, was a skilled spear-man, indeede, the recorde states that he was slaine by a barbarien, or a brigande, from the mountaines, who wielded an axe, which is stronge to the speare, by the currente modele of battel. The recordes of Mr Nikolas reportes that the ghoste of Mr Kesler did speake to him, and he said to take the compasse from his roome, and to turn the diales and knobbes upon it in a very specifick fashion, which is far to complexe to detaile here, however, Mr Nikous complied willinglie, and when the werke was finished, there was no visible effect of his labour, and the phantome of Mr Kessler disapeared as sundelny as he came aboute, and in a puffe of purpel smock. 

The incidente was dismised as a wilde dreame by all those abouad the vessle, and Mr Nikoulas thought little of itte for the next few whiles. However, one nighte, as he was werking on his monlouges, he noticed something strange about the compasse, and the waye the diales and knobbes were arranged upon the surface, as if they spelled a massage, and he traced the lines in the sande, and he looked hard at them, and he saw the foundationes of logick, and the equationes of the al-gibres, and he re-named himselfe the visconute of Boole, and he called the equationes the Boolean al-gibres, and he became very wealthy and he drank porte wine.