Arthur Conan Doyle’s Arctic Phantom.

Arthur Conan Doyle’s Arctic Phantom.

The Victorian and Edwardian eras were a golden age for the traditional English ghost story. The reading public were hungry for tales of the supernatural. There were also many magazines and authors who were only too happy to satisfy that appetite.

Many classic tales were published as a result of this. Among them is The Captain of the ‘Polestar.‘ This was first published in Temple Bar magazine in 1883. It later appeared in the collection, The Captain of the ‘Polestar‘ and Other Tales (1890).

The Captain of the ‘Polestar‘ has since been published in many anthologies of supernatural tales. It was also dramatised for radio by the BBC in 2003, as one of their Dark Side of The Border series.

Arthur Conan Doyle was just 23 years old when he wrote The Captain of the ‘Polestar‘. It was a remarkable achievement for such a young writer. The story shows the early promise of a literary career that was to make Arthur Conan Doyle a household name.

The setting of The Captain of the ‘Polestar‘ is an unusual one. Ghost stories of that time were usually set in old Manor House’s or other landlocked locations. However, Arthur Conan Doyle’s story unfolds aboard a whaling ship. This vessel is commanded by Captain Nicholas Craigie.

The story is told in the form of a diary written by the ship’s surgeon, John McAlister Ray. In his diary, Ray describes Captain Craigie as “a man of fierce temper“. The Captain is recklessly pursuing whales beyond the usual season. He drives his crew relentlessly on as the Arctic ice closes in on them. John McAlister Ray confides in his diary that, “My deliberate opinion is that we are commanded by a madman.“ 

A strange noise in the night is allegedly heard by the crew of the ‘Polestar‘. The second mate, Mr Manson, describes it as, “…sometimes like a bairn crying and sometimes like a wench in pain.“ It seems as if someone or something is following the ship.

Two of the crew also see, “…a sort of white figure moving across the ice-field in the same direction that we had heard the cries.“ 

Mr Manson tells of how he and another crew member go on to the ice-pack to investigate further. Manson runs round a hummock, and then; “…I came right on to the top of it standing and waiting for me seemingly. I don’t know what it was. It wasn’t a bear, anyway. It was tall and white and straight, and if it wasn’t a man nor a woman, I’ll stake my davy it was something worse.“

John McAlister Ray is initially sceptical about the claims of the ship’s crew. He regards them as superstitious nonsense. However, toward the end of the story he becomes convinced; “I have learned never to ridicule any man’s opinion, however strange it may seem.“

The link between the phantom and Captain Craigie is skilfully revealed by Arthur Conan Doyle, as the story reaches a surprising and very effective climax.

Conan Doyle drew from his own experience when he wrote The Captain of the ‘Polestar‘. As a 20 year old medical student, he served as a ship’s surgeon aboard the whaling ship Hope in 1880 (see my previous blog of April, 2024). This provided Arthur Conan Doyle with the inspiration and raw material with which to craft a classic ghost story. It will haunt you long after you have finished reading it.