ossing the Atlantic in the dark, anyhow. But what a
steep price we got for those fish!"

"They're always ready to pay well for such things at the end of a
voyage," said Dab. "I expected, though, they'd try and beat us down a
peg. They generally do. We didn't get much more than the fair market
price, after all, only we got rid of our whole catch at one sale."

That was a good deal better than fishermen are apt to do.

Hour followed hour; and "The Swallow" followed the steamer, and the fog
followed them both so closely, that sometimes even Dick Lee's keen eyes
could with difficulty make out the "Prudhomme's" light. And now Ford
Foster ventured to take a bit of a nap, so sure did he feel that all the
danger was over, and that Captain Kinzer was equal to what Dick Lee
called the "nagivation" of that yacht How long he had slept, he could
not have guessed but he was awakened by a great cry from out the mist
beyond them, and by the loud exclamation of Captain Kinzer, still at the
tiller,--

"I believe she's run ashore!"

It was a loud cry, indeed, and there was good reason for it. Well was it
for all on board the great steamer, that she was running no faster at
the time and that there was no hurricane of a gale to make things worse
for her. Pilot and captain had both together missed their
reckoning,--neither of them could ever afterward tell how,--and there
they were, stuck fast in the sand, with the noise of breakers ahead of
them, and the dense fog all around.

Frank Harley peered anxiously over the rail again but he could not have
complained that he was "wrecked in sight of shore," for the steamer was
any thing but a wreck as yet, and there was no shore in sight.

"It's an hour to sunrise," said Dab to Ford, after the latter had
managed to comprehend the situation. "We may as well run farther in, and
see what we can see."

It must have been aggravating to the people on board the steamer, to see
that little cockle-shell of a yacht dancing safely along over the shoal
on which their "leviathan" had struck, and to hear Ford Foster sing out,
"If we'd known you meant to run in here, we'd have followed some other
pilot."

"They're in no danger at all," said Dab, "If their own boats don't take
'em all ashore, the coast-wreckers will."

"The government life-savers, I s'pose you mean."

"Yes: they're all alongshore, here, everywhere. Hark! there goes the
distress-gun. Bang away! It sounds a good deal more mad than scared