Part 47 (1/2)

able to hold the fish That'll save us fishermen a pile o' labor”

But the official was not to be tempted into talk, even on the question of his own invention He si in

Presently the _shi+ner_ ca quite a bit of canvas, there being not enough hands on board to reef

The weather was getting dirtier every minute

”hello there the boat!” hailed the captain

”All right,” the seine-master called back ”A couple o' hundred barrels”

”Net holding?”

”Looks like it”

”Better get on board soon's you can,” the captain advised; ”we ht to hireat dealThe worst of it was the way the rain ca It was a cold rain, too, and although it was Septeale was chill Colin shi+vered in his oilskins The pursing in done, the seine-master waved a torch, but it could not be seen in the rain

”It's a good thing we've got a cap'n like Jerry on board, boys,” said the seine-master ”He'll have to smell us out, because he can't see anythin'”

But it was a longer wait than any one expected, for the schooner had faded into the rain and could not be seen Suddenly a hail was heard, and the _shi+ner_ passed to leeward of the boats, di cry came back

”He'll beat up to wind'ard a bit an' then pick us up,” said the seine-master cheerfully

Colin wondered how any ale of wind and come back to a certain spot, but he need not have been incredulous, for in about five h to run over the boats, being thrown up into the wind in the nick of time As the schooner settled beside the boat, all theat the bow, to shackle the seine-boat to the iron that hung fro on the port side, while the other, grabbing hold of the long steering-oar, did his best to fend off the stern The seine, thus being between the boat and the schooner, was held by Roote and the seine-master Colin climbed aboard with the rest of thedip-net--which would hold a barrel at a ti the fish

Ten or eleven times the dip-net had descended and co rapidly in spite of the pitching and heaving of the vessel, when suddenly every one was stopped by the long wail of a foghorn near by Not a sound of one had been heard before, and all hands were so busy that the direction from which the sound came had not been noted Exactly half a”Who-o-o-o” sounded al to the wheel As he set a hand upon the spokes and spun theray shi+p towered above them fro poised a moment on the crest of a sea before the final crash Colin, as leaning over the rail watching the dipping of the net, was able to see everything

The fisherman at the bow of the seine-boat ju vessel lurched upon them, the boy noted that the seine-master and the fisherale shrouds and held them