Part 8 (1/2)
”Yes,” he answered ”Wasn't sure whether ht so I set it half an hour ahead”
Still holding hiirl exaht but your shoes,” she announced ”You'll break your neck in those leather soles I'll see if I can rustle a pair of tennis-shoes”
She vanished suddenly and a ures of three bare-footed fisherreeted the men familiarly
”Got that coil for you, To devils won't beat you to it Coils are hard to get right now Bill, you'd better run down Lucas way and scout around for barracuda They were beginning to hit in there strong this tiht for that medicine I told you about
They said they'd shoot it out on the first ory saw other shadows draw near and hover for a ht Frolea colony, the intervening spaces of darkness narrowing second by second until the village stood out like a great checker-board of lights and shadows Against the background of lights he could see the slender figure of the girl passing aiants above her Radiating energy wherever she went, criticizing sorouch, she directed thestreaed the dock and despatched the boats one by one into the darkness
When she returned to Gregory's side for a moment she held in her hand a tattered pair of rubber-soled shoes ”They're better than nothing,” she explained ”When you are a full-fledged fisheret so you can use your toes like fingers and----”
The rays of her flash-light, which swept the wharf as she spoke, suddenly brought into view the figure of aher sentence unfinished, she was by his side in an instant
”Nothing doing, Jack Go hoo to bed I know all about your wife's sick aunt No tio out with the boys drifting”
The fisherman started to expostulate but she had already left hi that she didn't knohat sickness was, he stumbled obediently away in the direction of the shore
”He's been drunk since Tuesday,” she announced as she rejoined Gregory
”Too bad, too Best ht to see hiht picked out a newco a few feet away ”What's the trouble, Pete? Why aren't you on the job?”
”I've got to have more money” The words were spoken boldly and in a tone which drew the attention of all about A nued the distance
”You wantrepeated slowly ”Well about the only reason I could ever think of for paying you anyfor it Why, I've lost h your carelessness since you've been on the job than I could make on you in six months The first shot out of the box you let a piece of barracuda-webbing go adrift and Mascola's gang picked it up right before your eyes and you never cheeped Then you put one of my motors on the blink because you were too lazy to watch the oil-feed Where do you think I get off? How long could I run this outfit if all my men were like you? Take a brace and coet more money out of me or any one else
The harder you hit the ball theit all The boys will tell you I shoot square”
The fisherman slunk sullenly away and joined his coory
”That's one of the things I'ainst,” she exclaiitator Talking is his long suit Why, he didn't even kno to throw a bowline when he hit in here, flat broke and down on his uppers I've taught hi If ory watched the fleet e at the manner in which the burly fisherainst their grain, he thought, to be bossed about by a woman The last of the boats had cleared before the youthful coo,” she exclaimed impatiently ”We're late now Mascola's outfit cleared two hours ago”
Leading the way she took Gregory aboard a s vessel which waited at the float below The ruff voice growled:
”We've got to go soirl nodded to the dark for are hty near down there by now”
She cast off the lines and juain to the boat as the little craft backed froained headway under the rapid pulse of the powerfulPoint Just put theood idea we'll load up That is unless Mascola tries to sew us up One of his fishi+ng captains was cruising round last night when I left the set”