The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1905-09-21

mint You don't believe In them rocks.
always gets him on Il. by asking
for a clean chart and proved shoals.
and what not, and giving 1t him hot
and heavy on vigias and the like. Bah,
| amt no patience"
And Spiller tramped the deck for
bit. Presently he came back to where
Green stood.
He'll be In Bombay before us" he
said gloomlly. 81 have to own the
Simooms faster than the Palembang,
but II she was sailed 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 bitter, but the
thought that Her Majesty's cruiser
Amphion has discredited the Simeon
vigia was balm to his inmost soul, as
he turned to go below.
Keep a bright lookout" he
growled, and he left Green to con-
slider the matter OF vigias in general,
and the Simeon vigia in particular.
For these viglas, the terror Of sea
men. are like malicious spirits. Some
man has seen them, or has imagined
them. and forever after they bear
sway in the minds OF those who sail
upon the great deep Perhaps they
are but a floating mass of wreck. on
which the sea breaks; in the south,
what was seen was, II may be, a
drifting berg; on the shores Of West
Africa. perchance river has sent out
q floating island. Any accident OF
Imagination may create them; alcohol
bears them on its tide; they are the
rats and ghosts and terrible creeping
things of the delirium OF the sea that
is born OF rum. A heavy heeled spar
a. II floats becomes pinnacle OF
In II Is forever after to be avoided.
Here a rip OF currents. and there a
heavy overfall, become fixed terrors
and are given names.
For this is the sea that is unknown
yet, and shall forever be unknown. II
works upon the mind Of man very
subtly, and yet again with tremen-
dous strength. Under the sea are
earthquakes. and in It volcanoes. OF
these islands are born, and again
they pass away, while the little crea-
ture man skins upon the surface OF
the ocean like a water-beetle, and
may be seen no more.
When Green was left alone upon
the poop of.the Palembsng, save Tor
something OF the wonderful majesty
of the sea came down upon him. and
for a moment touched his nerves.
Trust in the captain he had none, for
Spiller was of the usual alcoholic or
der: SO he got out the chart and
looked at 1t. There stood the vigia
marked Simeon Rock" Perhaps
II existed after all. He remembered
the history Of the Aurora Islands TO
the east OF the Falklands. Even now.
some old sailors believe there are
such islands. real land. not ice ground.
cd on deep soundlngs. And the ST.
noon vigia was close at hand. II II
existed at all. Allowing for sufficient
uncertainty in it's supposed position,
II might be anywhere within a de.
gree. He stared out into the dark
ness and imagined he saw 1t. II was
here, II was there, II was nowhere:
It was a wrath OF tho mind, and dis.
solved. He put back his night glasses,
and whistled. till he remembered
there was quite enough wind. and that
he had no desire to turn the hands up
TO shorten sail
Jerusalem, It is dark" he said
aDaln and he ranaiIoI NUfIslnta ra1lx,
''Have the gas lit" Aye, that would
be pleasant. For a moment he saw
the streets OF London town with a
diminuendo In lamps, and then he
pulled himself together. It breezed
up bit and was four bells. He hove
the log, and went alongside the lee
rail TO go below to enter II on the
slate. She made biggish weather
roll. and the decks being slippery, he
steadied himself and put his head
outside the rail to take a look ahead.
And at that moment, as he says, he
saw the Simeon vigia. His heart
stood still. and then thumped furious
ly. In spite OF the hiss OF the seas.
and the windy roar OF the rigging. the
bOunu Vi MS Pulsc IN Ms tdTb WAS
like the sound OF a pump. He was
paralyEed, and yet he knew that the
Palembang was rushing on TO destruc-
ton.
Hard a starboardi" he said coolly.
but In a choking voice.
SIR" said the astounded man at
the wheel.
Hard a starboard. damn you," said
Green ffercely.
And the heimsman ground the
wheel hard down with the air Of a
surprised martyr. AS the Palembang
bowed and came round almost at
right angles TO her former course.
Green swears he saw broken water.
though he lost the sharp pinnacle Of
rock he sad seen at hrst-
Old splller, who was not asleep,
came up on deck In hurry.
whats she OF her course for?"
Green told him, and spiller swore.
"You saw nothing, You damn fool"
81 did"
"You didn't, you imaginative ass. F"
Green wanted 10 plant his fist be-
tween spiller's eyes, but did not; for
he was a married man aud hated to
lose a Job. He ground his teeth and
turned away The Palembang was
mt an har couraa AGAIN and after In.