it. The Captain turned to face him, and, to the surprised eyes of the Clerk, seemed to have changed suddenly into a young man-alert, quick, and decisive. "No, Collins," said a strange voice; "the man did act in the face of the enemy, and I will endorse the recommendation." He turned his eyes again to the window, but saw only the yellow gravel, the houses, and the smoke; the fetters of Routine seemed to clank warningly in his ears. "Yes," he said, "I have no reason to suppose the U-boat had not followed the steamer, or that she was not present all the time." XXXVI. A MOST UNTRUE STORY. The War was only in its first childhood and patrol work was still amusing, having not yet become a monotonous and unexoiting business. The submarine was due to start back from patrol that night, and was just loafing along at twenty odd feet depth waiting for dark. The Captain was on watch at the periscope, swinging the instrument round from time to time to take a general survey of the horizon, but for the most part confining his scrutiny to the island to leeward. The island showed up clearly-the light of the setting sun flashing back from the windows of the buildings that looked out over the Bight. As the Captain took one of his all-round glances, he checked suddenly and concentrated his gaze to one point of the compass. A man who leaned against a pump six feet away—a man who had seemed to all appearance to be on the verge of sleep-opened his eyes, straightened up, and stood alertly watching the brown hands that held the periscope training handles. The signal seemed to be telepathically passed on, as in a few seconds there were six or eight pairs of eyes watching the observer, who still peered at the unknown sight which no one else in the boat could see. Then the Captain moved his head back from the eye-piece, smiled (and at the smile six of the watchers reverted to their oilstained reading matter), and called to the First-Lieutenant, who was at the moment engaged with an Engine-room Artificer in a mumbled inquest over a broken air-valve spindle. As the First-Lieutenant approached, the Captain stepped to one side and indicated the eye-piece by a nod. His subordinate took his place, and for a full half-minute remained slowly swivelling the great instrument through four points and back again. When he raised his head he was soowling and sullen. "Well?" said the Captain. "A good few there, eh?" "Lord!" The First-Lieutenant's voice indicated the deepest disgust. "Thousands and thousands—and we can't get a shot at 'em!" "Well, there's over a thousand, anyway. I've seen at least that lot of teal in the led to the sunlight and a clear last couple of minutes." view. "Teal! Why, sir, I can see mallard now for the next half mile, and I could swear there'll be geese among them too." "Here, let me look. Yes, by gum, and not one's getting up either. They let the periscope get to a few feet off before they paddle away He swivelled slowly round the circle, then looked up at the First - Lieutenant. "There's fog coming on. I can see the banks coming," he said. He looked again through the periseope and intently studied the windows on the island some three miles away. The FirstLieutenant watched his face, and saw it slowly break into the smile of a schoolboy meditating mischief. The FirstLieutenant began to to smile slightly also. The Captain looked up. "I can't help the island," he said. "War's hell, anyway. Give me a rifle and stand by for surface." There was clatter and the sound of quickpassing orders; the boat's bow tilted up, and to the sound of roaring air she broke surface fairly in the middle of the great colony of swimming wildfowl. The hatch fell back with a olang and a rush of cold air beat on the excited faces of the men below the conningtower. Immediately there came the Crack-crack-'rack of magazine-fire from the bridge above, and the descendants of bowmen who had risked mutilation and death to steal the Conqueror's deer forgot their discipline and began to mount the ladder that The Captain turned to shout a helm order below and swore at the packed heads that filled the hatch - rim. 66 ... and you come up, Number One, and lend a hand to pick up. I've got one-missed him on the water at a hundred and got him in the air as he rose! There he is-jump forr'd and grab him-dammit, he's off (crack-crack) No, that's stopped him" (bang-the report came from the vicinity of the Captain's knee). "What the confound you, man what the deuce are you doing? Unload that pistol and take it away...' As it moved the gentle rolling of the boat that had been noticeable before ceased, and she steadied until she gave the idea of being high and dry in some silent dock. The officer, generally known as "Pilot" or The First-Lieutenant sprang up the outer ladder of the conning-tower, the bleeding spoil clutched in his hand. The Captain turned to look astern and became aware of the fact that the gallery, as represented by the bridge and rails, was to his intimates and contemtenanted by an enthusiastic poraries as "Rasputin" (a and interested selection of his name, it should be explained, crew. "What the devil-is which had no possible applicathis a cinema or my ship? tion to him, except for the fact Don't you know your orders that he wore a beard), appeared yet? Every man-jack of you at the Captain's side with a He herded them below folded chart in his hand. to the tune of a voluble hymn of hate, and followed the last of the grinning culprits down. As the boat levelled off at her previous diving depth, he swung the periscope round to search the horizon again to seaward. A moment later "Diving stations," and to the hydroplane men, "Take her on down." The First-Lieutenant left the luckless mallard on the table and elbowed his way aft again through the cluster of men closing up to their stations. Reaching the control position, he looked inquiringly at the Captain, who, having lowered the periscope, was leaning with folded arms against a group of valves abreast it. "Thick fog coming down. Going to bottom till dark now. Have a look at the soundings, will you or tell Henley to let me know." The First-Lieutenant moved back to speak to another officer, who was already bending over the ohart-table. The Captain turned his head to watch the gauge beside him, the needle of which was slowly creeping upwards and around the circle. "We should touch at ninety by the gauge, sir," he said. "We must be about four miles from the land now." The Captain nodded. "Yes, it may be a little more, though. Have the crew got a sweep on this?" "No, sir. This is an extra dive, and they haven't had time to get one up. D'you want to bet on under or over ninety, sir?" "I do not. I won last night's sweep, and lost it to you in side-bets, and I'm not taking any more. Stop the motors!" The gauge had reached the eighty-foot mark, and the boat under the influence of her headway was still driving the needle slowly round. At ninety feet the Captain looked at the Pilot, smiled, and started the motors again. Hardly had he given the order when the needle checked, rose a little, and then crept back to ninetyfive. "Stop the motors! I've lost a chance there, Pilot'Wish I'd had bet that." on He stood watching the gauge a moment longer, and then turned to walk to the Wardroom. "Pipe down-usual sentries only," he ordered. "Tell my servant to get me some washing water." He threw the curtain aside, and joined the two officers who stood looking solemnly at the mallard, which lay on a gory newspaper in the centre of the table. For a moment there was silence. "Well," said the Captain cheerfully, "it's not as smashed as it might be. It'll do for a pie to-morrow." "Mm," said the First-Lieutenant, "Keeper at home used to call rabbits that looked like that 'ferrets' food."" "Not a bit of it," rejoined the Captain; "if we mash him in a pie he'll be all right." There was another pause while the First - Lieutenant tucked an extra fold of newspaper beneath the corpse then, after a quick glance and nudge for the Pilot's benefit, he spoke in a detached and dispassionate voice. "Of course, it was poaching." The Captain's brown face began to slowly take on the colour of the gore on the table then he exploded "What d'you mean? . . poaching-it's below high-water mark, isn't it?" "Well, sir-we don't know the rules in this country, and we were pretty well in their waters." "But it's offshore. Why shouldn't I shoot their duck? It's not preserved, either. Poaching! I never poached anything-not since I was at school anyway." He scowled at the duck and the officers impartially. The officers clutched each other by the arms, then the Pilot walked hastily to a low-set bunk and buried his head in the pillow. The Captain changed his frown for a smile as the situation dawned on him, then, snatching the parallel rulers from the charttable he began to belabour the most accessible portion of his gurgling subordinate's anatomy. KLAXON. MUSINGS WITHOUT METHOD. THE MURDER OF THE TSAR-AUTOCRACY AND DEMOCRACY- THE CRIMES OF THE BOLSHEVIKS-BOLSHEVIKISM IN INDIA "THE FAITH THAT IS IN US"-THE HYPOCRISY OF SELF-DETERMINATION -A NEW POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY A GENERAL ELECTION — A USELESS BLUNDER-1832 AND 1918. THE murder of the Tsar, a foul deed perpetrated by the Bolsheviks and encouraged by their friend and patron, the German Emperor, is the natural consequence of revolution. After a mook trial Nicholas II. was found guilty of crimes against his country. What these crimes were is not specified and does not matter. The exouse for murder is always secondary, and there is no argument framed by the mob of scoundrels called Bolsheviks which can carry conviction to an honest man's mind. After the same fashion, and with as little cause, Louis XVI. went to the guillotine more than a hundred years ago. He, poor man, was alleged to have made some sort of assault upon "liberty," and the champions of this illusory quality proved their own forbearing love of it by slaughtering those who were not in agreement with them. When Louis XVI. was done to death, a thrill of horror ran through Europe. Even Talleyrand, least sentimental of men, was overcome by despondency, and retired to the country. "Tout ce qui avait le cœur français," said he, "a besoin de solitude." England put on mourning for the dead monarch, and "war with a doctrine" became inevitable. In how different a spirit was the news of the Tsar's murder received! It made but a ripple upon the surface of things. The war, and all that it means for Europe and the the world, keeps the minds of men busy, and few there were who had a thought to spare for the man who had failed in a task too great for human endurance or sagacity, and who fell a victim, not to ambition or to a love of injustice, but to duty. It was the hard fate of Nicholas II. to be called to the governance of a country inharmonious in its elements. He could have won success only by the good will and co-operation of all classes. Autocracy was imposed upon him not merely by inheritance but by the very nature of the task laid upon him. To govern a country made up of a Russian upper class, a Russian lower class, and a vast intermediate mass of hungry Germans, was not possible for any one who did not exact obedience and insist upon control. The simulaorum of popular government which Nicholas called into being under the name of the Duma was all that the people of Russia could manage or |