wished to make his own
experiments, in the first place; and in the second, he objected to the
mixed gatherings of a fleet of all nations. The bulk of them were
mainly Gloucester boats, with a scattering from Provincetown, Harwich,
Chatham, and some of the Maine ports, but the crews drew from goodness
knows where. Risk breeds recklessness, and when greed is added there
are fine chances for every kind of accident in the crowded fleet,
which, like a mob of sheep, is huddled round some unrecognized leader.
"Let the two Jeraulds lead 'em," said Disko. "We're baound to lay among
'em for a spell on the Eastern Shoals; though ef luck holds, we won't
hev to lay long. Where we are naow, Harve, ain't considered noways good
graound."

"Ain't it?" said Harvey, who was drawing water (he had learned just how
to wiggle the bucket), after an unusually long dressing-down.
"Shouldn't mind striking some poor ground for a change, then."

"All the graound I want to see--don't want to strike her--is Eastern
Point," said Dan. "Say, Dad, it looks's if we wouldn't hev to lay
more'n two weeks on the Shoals. You'll meet all the comp'ny you want
then, Harve. That's the time we begin to work. No reg'lar meals fer no
one then. 'Mug-up when ye're hungry, an' sleep when ye can't keep
awake. Good job you wasn't picked up a month later than you was, or
we'd never ha' had you dressed in shape fer the Old Virgin."

Harvey understood from the Eldridge chart that the Old Virgin and a
nest of curiously named shoals were the turning-point of the cruise,
and that with good luck they would wet the balance of their salt there.
But seeing the size of the Virgin (it was one tiny dot), he wondered
how even Disko with the hog-yoke and the lead could find her. He
learned later that Disko was entirely equal to that and any other
business and could even help others. A big four-by-five blackboard hung
in the cabin, and Harvey never understood the need of it till, after
some blinding thick days, they heard the unmelodious tooting of a
foot-power fog-horn--a machine whose note is as that of a consumptive
elephant.

They were making a short berth, towing the anchor under their foot to
save trouble. "Square-rigger bellowin' fer his latitude," said Long
Jack. The dripping red head-sails of a bark glided out of the fog, and
the _We're Here_ rang her bell thrice, using sea shorthand.

The larger boat backed her topsail with shrieks and shoutings.

"Frenchman," said Uncl