ge?" said Bruce. "I've heard of that."

"Heard of it? I should rayther hope you had. Who hasn't? It's the
one great, gen'ral, an standin terror of this dangerous and iron-bound
bay. There's no jokin, no nonsense about Quaco Ledge; mind I tell you."

"Where does it lie?" asked Phil, after a pause.

"Wal, do you know whar Quaco settlement is?"

"Yes."

"Wal, Quaco Ledge is nigh about half way between Quaco settlement and
Ile Haute, bein a'most in the middle of the bay, an in a terrible
dangerous place for coasters, especially in a fog, or in a snow-storm.
Many's the vessel that's gone an never heard of, that Quaco Ledge could
tell all about, if it could speak. You take a good snowstorm in this
Bay of Fundy, an let a schooner get lost in it, an not know whar she
is, an if Quaco Ledge don't bring her up all standin, then I'm a
Injine."

"Is it a large place?"

"Considerably too large for comfort," said the captain. "They've
sounded it, an found the whole shoal about three an a half mile long,
an a half a mile broad. It's all kivered over with water at high tide,
but at half tide it begins to show its nose, an at low tide you see as
pooty a shoal for shipwrecking as you may want; rayther low with
pleasant jagged rocks at the nothe-east side, an about a hundred yards
or so in extent. I've been nigh on to it in clear weather, but don't
want to be within five miles of it in a fog or in a storm. In a thick
night like this, I'll pull up before I get close."

"You've never met with any accident there, I suppose."

"Me? No, not me. I always calc'late to give Quaco Ledge the widest
kine o' berth. An I hope you'll never know anythin more about that
same place than what I'm tellin you now. The knowlege which one has
about that place, an places ginrally of that kine, comes better by
hearsay than from actool observation."

Time passed on, and they still drifted, and at length ten o'clock came;
but before that time the boys had gone below, and retired for the
night. Shortly after, the rattle of the chains waked them all, and
informed them that the Antelope had anchored once more.

After this they all fell asleep.

IV.

In Clouds and Darkness.--A terrible Warning.--Nearly run down.--A
lively Place.--Bart encounters an old Acquaintance.--Launched into the
Deep.--Through the Country.--The Swift Tide.--The lost Boy.

The boys had not been asleep for more than two hours, when they were
awakened by an u