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The Seventh Man

 The Seventh Man by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch falls in line with the classic ghost story.

Seven men, er I mean six men, were stuck in in a hut in the Arctic Circle.  The Gaffer is the only one who is keeping everyone else sane.  Some time in wintery weather, they hear a noise.  They investigate and find nothing.

This story is cool because the Gaffer wonders if his mind is playing tricks.  He doesn’t dare say anything to anyone else, because he’s afraid that it will be the last straw and chaos will follow.

I stumbled onto this story because I was wondering if it bore any relation to Haruki Murakami's The Seventh Man.  And it didn't.  This story is just as enjoyable.


The Seventh Man was originally published in the short story collection Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts in 1900.  The audio program I listened to was narrated by Walter Covell.

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