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Show THE PROMOTION OF I THE ADMIRAL kWApc8fcHPS5 -'" ' 1. 1 By Morley Roberts Author of "The CoIomhs," "The Punitive." I O0prrtgAt, ttot, y L C rt, 4 Otm,tny, (lr irporat ,d .) "Of course not," said Splller; "they might as woll not traps to catch the rata that a man sees when ho's got the Jlmjams. And nothing makes Banks angrier than to throw out a hint you don't bellovo In them rocks. I always gets him on It, by asking for a clean chart and proved shoals, and what not, and giving It him hot and heavy on vlglas and tbo like. Bah, I ain't no patience." And Splller tramped tho deck for n bit. Presontly ho came back to where Green stood. "He'll bo in Bombay before us," ho said gloomily. "I havo to own tho Simoom's faster than tho I'alembang, but If she was galled by a better man she'd make quicker passages. Why, an engineer In a steamer can pass a thorough sailor In a scow." His heart was blttor, but the thought that Her Majesty's cruiser Amphlon has discredited tho Simoom vlgla was balm to his Inmost soul, as he turned to go below. "Keep a bright lookout," ho growled, and ho left Green to consider con-sider the matter of vlglas In general, and tho Simoom vlgla In particular. For theso vlglas, the terror of seamen, sea-men, are lile malicious spirits. Somo man has seen them, or has Imagined them, and forever after thoy bear sway in the minds of thoso who sail upon the great deep. Perhaps tbey are but a floating mass of wreck, on which tho sea breaks; in tho south, what was seon was, it may be, a drifting berg; on the shores of Wet,t Africa, perchance a river has sent out a floating island. Any accldont of imagination may create thorn; alcohol bears them on Its tide; they are tho rats and ghosts and terrible creeping things of, tho delirium of the sea that is born of rum. A heavy heeled spar as It floats becomes a pinnacle of rock; the boat that bears dead men in It is forevor after to bo avoided. Here a rip of currents, and thcro a heavy overfall, become fixed terrors and are given names. For this Is tho spa that is unknown yet, and shall forever be unknown. It works upon the mind of man very subtly, and yet again with tremendous tremen-dous strength. Under tho sea are earthquakes, and In it volcanoes. Of these Islands are born, and again they pass away, while the llttlo creature crea-ture man skims upon the surfaco of the ocoan like a watcr-beotle, and may bo seen no more. When Green was left alono upon tho poop of-the Palombang, save for the prosecco of tho man at the wheel, something of tho wonderful majesty of the sea came down upon him, and for a moment touched his nerves. Trust In the captain ho had none, for Splller was of the usual alcoholic order; or-der; so ho got out tho chart and looked at It. There stood tho vlgla marked "Simoom Rock." Perhaps it oxlsted after all. He remembered the history of tho Aurora Islands to tho east of tho Falklands. Even now, some old sailors bellovo there are ouch Islands, real land, not ice grounded ground-ed on deep soundings. And the Simoom Si-moom vlgla was close at band, If It existed at all. Allowing for sufficient uncertainty in Its supposed position, It might be anywhero within a degree. de-gree. He stared out Into tho dark-noss dark-noss Qnd Imagined he saw it. It was bore, It was there, it was nowhoro: It was a wraith of tho mind, and dissolved. dis-solved. Ho put back Ills night-glasses, and whlstlod, till be romembored there was quite enough wind, and that ho had no deslro to turn tho hands up to shorton sail. "Jorusalom, it is dark," he said again, and ho recalled Wilson's reply, "Havo tho gas lit," Ayo, that would bo pleasant. For a moment ho saw tho streets of London town with a dlmlnuando in lamps, and then he pulled himself together. It broezed up a bit and was four bolls. Ho hove tho log, and wont alongside tho leo rail to go below to onter It on the slate. She made a biggish weather rou, ana mo accKS ueing snppory, no steadied htmsolt and put his head outside tho rail to tako a look ahead. And at that moment, as ho says, he saw tbo Simoom vlgla. His heart stood still, and then thumped furiously. furious-ly. In splto of the hiss of the seas, and tho windy roar of tho rigging, the sound pf his pulse in his ears was llko the sound of a pump. Ho was paralyzed, and yet he knew that the Palerabang was rushing on to destruction. destruc-tion. "Hard a starboard I" ho said coolly, bnt in a choking voice. "Sir?" said the astounded man at tho wheal. "Hard a starboard, damn you," sajd Green fiercely. And tbo helmsman ground the wheel bard down with tho air of a surprised martyr. As tho Palerabang bowod and camo round almost at right angles to her former course Groon swears ho saw broken wator, though ho lost tho sharp pinnacle of rook ho tad seen at flrst. Old Splller, who was not asleep, camo up on deck In a hurry. "What's she off her course for?" Groon told him, and Splller swore. "You saw nothing, you damn fool" "I did." "You didn't, you Imaginative ass." Green wanted to plant his flat between be-tween Splllor's eyes, but did not; for bo was a married man and hated to loso a Job. He ground his teeth and turned away. Tho Palombang was put on hr courso again, and aftor Interrogating In-terrogating the man on the look-out and tho man at tho wheel, who ac-Jsaowladcod ac-Jsaowladcod they had to nothing the aklpper swore promiscuously at everything, and went below to lay his soul In soak. "What ono man scos anothcr'll look for, and what a fool looks for a fool will see," he cried, without knowing what a neat addition he had made to the subject of suggestion. And by the time that Wilson relieved him at four o'clock Green was curiously uncertain un-certain as to whether he had seen straight or not, "Now, did you?" asked Wilson. "Two hours ago I'd havo sworn to It," said tho second mate, scratching his head. "Well, I've a notion you did," cried Wilson. "Between you and me and the mlzzon-mast, I think Banks Is a right smart man." "I believe I can swear I saw it," said young Green, much encouraged. "Yes, thero wero at least three rocks, one of them a pinnacle llko an obelisk." obe-lisk." And with Wilson secretly on hi side, he was quite suro of It before thoy reached Bombay, though Splller was forever jeering at him, and making mak-ing tho ship as uncomfortablo ns ho could. "Mebbe you can seo ghosts, too," he was constantly suggesting. "I'll quit at Bombay. It he'll give me my discharge," said Green. And suro enough Splller did, when ho met Green on tho Apollo Bunda In a confidential yarn with Banks, who, for a seaman of the old class, was a very gentlemanly man with neat whlto whiskers. "You've beon encouraging him about that vlgla," roared Splller, and when ho wrote out Green's discharge, he offered to give htm n special character char-acter for seeing ghosts. "But not rats!" said Green nastily, as he put hla discharge Into his pocket; pock-et; for tho last tlmo Splller overdrank over-drank himself he had a very bad time with rodents. It was tho best of luck for Green that ho got out of tho Palembnng, for Banks' mate fell 111, and tho second had no mate's ticket. So Green, being In great favor, through having seen the poor discredited Simoom vlgla, got the Job, for ho had passed for mate just beforo signing as second In the Palombang. Banks took him round with him, and again tackled tho captain of tho Amphlon about that vlgla, showing his new witness; but Captain Melville Mel-ville shook his head. ''The old unn U i.ii.27 shout those rocks," was all ho said, as ho rofusod to discuss the matter. But Banks and Splller went nt it hammer and tongs when they met ashore. "He saw nothing," said Splller. "Onlv whnt I saw." "Of course notl 'said Splller. "I told tho fool about It and he imagined tbo rest, as you did." Banks fumed. "Lucky you didn't run the Palem-bang Palem-bang on my imagination. Slow as aho goes, she'd have slammed herself Into ujaicuwuuu. Splller choked with rage "Look hore, 111 sail all ovor your blooming rocks, as I havo dono aforo. You Just made this an to get notoriety, noto-riety, and have your Ship's name on the chart, and be put in tho Directory. I know you, Banks, and I don't think much of you, and nover dtd. To get yoursolf talked about you'd report that you'd seen tho Flying Dutchman. Vlglas, lndeedl A disfigurement on any chart) You'll have tho chart of tho Indian Ocoan as big a dlsgrnco as the North Atlantic If you havo your way. Didn't you find nothing now to report this time?" Banks roso up in a towering, rage, "You're no gentloman, Captain Splller, Spll-ler, and I'll Bpoak no more with you, not till you own that tho Simoom Rocks are real. And may you never havo occasion to ruo finding them out as such. I'll lot you know I'vo as great respect for the chart as you have, and If you ovor run your old tub on my rocks, you can call 'em Splllflr'a Hoof, for all I carp, so thero," and ho poraplrod off to hit) vessel. In shipping circles opinion was divided di-vided botween tho master of tho Simoom Si-moom and tho master of the Palem-bang. Palem-bang. And It being tho fashion of the sallorman, or, for that matter, of human-kind In genoral, tp decide matters mat-ters that admit of doubt according to personal prejudloe and nnclont opinion, opin-ion, thoro were more on Bplllor's side than on Banks'. For onfi thing, it is tho porpetual Ambition at all true aons of tho ocean to dlucover something some-thing now and have bls ship's name tagged on to it, and ivirj one was Jealous of Banks. Wboti the AJnphloe 1 I H 1 looked for the rocks wfthouk ttiwsw I thoy threw out dark hints aboat a dead whale or a troo stump havfcag been aeon, and somo said "Rum," just 1 as others said "Rats," contemptaoas- ' ly. . Others, with a very flno contempt 1 for tho navy, were of opinion that 1 Captain Melville of II. M. S. Amphlon considered he owned half the Indian Ocean and all tho Arabian Sea. and would bo as much put out at finding an unmarked rock or shoal in either as If ho slipped upon an old chtiw on hla own quarterdeck. These were on Banks' side, of course And Borne who disliked Splller said thoy' believed be-lieved In this new set of rocks to annoy him, ending very naturally in holding tho opinion thoy argued for. . When old Banks got on the high horso nnd swore ho would not speak again to the disbeliever In the vlgla, - he meant It, and added details to his statement. 4 "Not If I found him in a boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean," he swore excitedly. Tho quarrel was ns bitter as polem-lo polem-lo theolbgy. Splller was a rank athe-1st, athe-1st, a scorncr, a scoffer, a pagan, a I ' heathen. If Banks had written a new creed, he wduld havo begun It: "I be- , ! llcve in thq Simoom Rocks to tho m I west of the Maldlvhs." He clung to ' their oxlstenco pathetically, and when an Impecunious skipper of a storm-disgruntled storm-disgruntled tramp wanted to borrow I n couple of hundred rupees from him, ( and remarked Incidentally that ho had seen broken water tn tho supposed 1 positlcn of the discredited reef, Banks j forked out with onthuslasm and took down a lying statement Joyfully. But when the Simoom was ready j for sea again, that samo tramp skipper, skip-per, who was a wild disgrace to tho respectable mystery of tho sea, executed exe-cuted n few maneuvers which let tho Palombang get ahead of her. For the tramp '(Julius Caesar was her name) had engines of an obstinate and ec- ccntrlo character. Sometimes they worked, and sometimes they didn't, and on thin particular occasion they refused to bo reversed at any price. As the Julius Caesar wouldn't go astern, her captain shoved her at tho crowded shipping ahead and put hor through, whooping on tho brldgo llko a maniac. He grazed thrco other steamers, took a bumpkin off a sailing vessel, slipped between two others, and in ono last complicated evolution smashed the jlbboom of the Simoom, brought down her foro-topgall'n'-mast, " and escaped to sea In a cyclone of curses of which the calm center was the Palembang. "I'll roport you," said Splller to Banks, wben he loft Bombay. "Hard a Starboardl" II "Go to boll," cried Banks, who rare- :w ly sworo save In n galo of wind. ill "After you," said Splller, with what Jff la popularly known as truly Oriental '.St politeness; and .as a parting taunt he f Fv sang out, "What about them rooks?" ', "You're an ungrammnttcal, unedu- cated man," acreamed Banks, dancing 'I1 furiously, I But Green and Wilson waved their M caps to each other. For all their way jl of passing rompllments when one ,.,'. gave the other a western ocean relief ' ' m at midnight, thoy wero good friends. ,j' (To ! Gonllnutd.) ill |