And sure enough Spiller did, when he met Green on the Apollo Bunda in a confidential yarn with Banks, who, for a seaman of the old class, was a very gentlemanly man with neat white whiskers.
"You've been encouraging him about that vigia," roared Spiller, and when he wrote out Green's discharge, he offered to give him a special character for seeing ghosts.
"But not rats!" said Green nastily, as he put his discharge into his pocket; for the last time Spiller overdrank himself he had a very bad time with rodents.
It was the best of luck for Green that he got out of the Palembang, for Banks's mate fell ill, and the second had no mate's ticket. So Green, being in great favour, through having seen the poor discredited Simoom vigia, got the job, for he had passed for mate just before signing as second in the Palembang.
Banks took him round with him, and again tackled the captain of the Amphion about that vigia, showing his new witness; but Captain Melville shook his head.
"The old man is crazy about those rocks," was all he said, as he refused to discuss the matter.
But Banks and Spiller went at it hammer and tongs when they met ashore.
"He saw nothing," said Spiller.
"Only what I saw."
"I told the fool about it and he imagined the rest, as you did."