Part 26 (2/2)

Had he wanted fifty helpers instead of three he could have had willing aid at once As it was, his friends selected four ed slowly down the pier to forer's direction the daed boat was lashed by its thwarts to the fresh corners, and then set free and thrust off the step

The rest was easy In a very short tiain, and half a dozen men waded in knee-deep to run her up a few feet at a tih the broken-out hole, till at last she was high and--not dry, but free from water

Then the s laid aside, while Toer had procured a basket of tools and the wood necessary for the repairs, and the little crowd of fisher upon upturned boats, fish boxes and buckets, to discuss the dae and compare it with that sustained by other boats as far back as they could remember For Toiven by Aleck, preferring to work his oay, the idea being tothe boat home

To this end he measured and cut off, almost as skilfully as a shi+p's carpenter--consequent upon old experience at home with boats and at sea with the mechanic of a man-o'-war--a piece of board to forhtly on the remains of the old

Then the hole in the botto, laid crosswise, the necessary fitting taking a great deal of time, so that the afternoon was spent before help was needed, and plenty of willing hands assisted in turning the boat right over, keel upper on of plenty of well-tarred oaku a kettle of pitch over a wood fire, and paying his work and the caulking liberally as he went on, whistling and chatting away to Aleck the while, only pausing now and then to have a big sniff and to inhale

”I should like to stop and have a pipe mysen, Master Aleck,” said To, Tom”

”Nay, sir; I'll have it as we sails over, bi job, and it'll be quite dark afore I've done”

He fetched the pitch kettle fro with chips of wreck-wood and adze cuttings froer on the stacks

”Now then,” he said, after carefully stuffing the daht to keep the inside dry, on'y the worst on it is that the pitch won't stick well to where the wood's wet”

”But you're not going to pour all that in?”

”I just a to spyle a shi+p for the sake of a ha'porth o' tar There we are,” he continued, spreading the melted pitch all over the patch with a thin piece of wood till, as it cooled, it for intended to form the outside skin

Tom was a very sloorker, but very sure, and a coupleset with the boat still not finished So slow had the repairing been that at last Aleck expressed his dissatisfaction; but Torinned

”I knoater is, sir, and how it'll get through holes I don't want for us to go to the botto Didn't I say as it would take me till dark?”

”You did, Tom, but you needn't drive in quite so many nails This is only temporary work”

”Teets home”

”Of course,” said Aleck, and to calroup of fisher away, and for the first tier but had their eyes fixed intently upon the sloop-of-war and the cutter, which lay at anchor a couple of hts

”'Bout done, arn't yer, To the fire

”Nay, keep the pitch hot, messmet,” said Toot her turned right again”

”Then that's going to be now, arn't it,fisherreat satisfaction ”Lend a hand, soroup into action, twice asto help as were needed, and in another few ht, the boat was turned over, with the iron-plated keel settling down in the fine shi+ngle and the rough inner workht

”Now,” cried Tom, ”just that drop o' pitch Power it in, messmet

That's your sort It'll soon cool Now, then, I'll just stick a bit or two of board acrorst there, Master Aleck, to protect that pitch; and then we'll say done”