Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-04-27

vessel. The paint had burned from the
plank. but there remained imbedded in
the wood several copper letters covered
with veriigris and undoubtedly form
ing the terminal of the i'll fated ships
name.
"E-I-o-p-e," spelled Gerard slowly.
and then. as if the meaning of the
word suddenly burst upon his bewil-
dered senses. he asked. Good heavens.
Jack. do you-do you suppose this Is
part of the Antelope?" He laughed
sheepishly even as he asked the ques-
ton.
"Of course it's the Antelope" re-
turned Captain Jack with quick COM
posure "See tAat little pointed thing
that's flaming now?" That's one horn
of the little head that formed the fig
urehesd of my boat"
AS the wonder of the strange hap
pening grew upon them they sat very
silent Who could call il common &C.
currence that broken portion of Cap
tain Jacks schooner. lost in the West
Indies Eve years before. should have
washed upon the strip of beach that
belonged TO her owner and should burn
there on the leaElu now II naluinS
proof of her destruction?
81 don't wonder sailors are supersti-
tious." said Gerard after a long time.
''The sea is a tickle mistress. for she
But he was doomed never TO COM
plete the sentence, for at that moment
the burning wood stirred strangely in
the FIRE and the copper letters burned
at a white heat. A broad sheet OF
flame seemed to stand motionless as
background for a curious picture.
Blue flames shot it's upper edge and
became a tropical midnight sky pow
dered with golden stars; green fire ran
across the fame and became a placid
sea tinged with moonlight. On the
green sea there rested the graceful out
lines of a six masted schooner, one of
the largest and fleetest of Der kind.
Her canvas hung modonless. for there
appeared to be no wind. There were
pygmy forms of men on deck-one at
the wheel and others grouped near by
Suddenly the pygmy men ran to and
fro as If frantic with fear; something
long and sinuous swept the deck, and
when it vanished the men were gone.
Then other long, sinuous. shadowy OBJ
1ects appeared at intervals about the
vessels rails. Her sails quivered as IL
by some sudden shock. Out from the
companionway there tumbled two
other pigmy men, who glanced aloft
and then ran to the forecastle hatch
and pounded Justify.
The vessel seemed to settle In the
water as if she was dragged down by
invisible hands. The two men on the
boat suddenly deserted the pumps and
leaped into the sea just as the beaud-
full schooner slowly careened. then
Strengthened, dipped her bow and went
down in a seething white foam OF
bubbles The bubbles spread away.
and there remained the green. placid
sea. on which bobbed little boat and
in it two pygmy men. Then all at once
the scene disappeared, and there was
the fireplace with its charred embers
of the lost Antelope. The driftwOod
had told its story; the fate of the
schooner was a secret no more.
The spell Of silence which had rest
ed upon the two men was broken by
Captain Jacks excited cry. did you
see it, Gerard?" he gasped. Did you
see it?'
Gerard nodded az saw something,
Jack. You will laugh IL tell you what
I saw-you won't believe me-
"Ill believe you. never fear. You
don't mean the picture in the flame
of course you saw that:'
mo. don't mean that. Jack: mean
the thing that pulled the Antelope and
the crew down to their deaths; mean
the proof OF your ability to take com
mand of the Petrol next month" said
his friend calmly.
Captain Jack Bernard uttered n re-
lieved sigh. "I was afraid it was an
optical illusion on nv own part" he
muttered. al saw ii. but scarcely be-
lieved. and nobody else in the world
will believe us If we tell them that an
enormous devilfish pulled a six mast
ed schooner to the bottom OF the sea-"
LET US keep our own secret. then. as
the sea has the reputation of keeping
hers" said Gerard
"She didn't keep this one" said the
Antelope's captain as the last crurn-
bling ash of his schooner faded into
nothingness.