s are right on to the game, I'm afraid," said Wilbur.
"Look, they're watching us. This stuff would smell across the ocean."

"Rot the beach-combers! There's a bit of wind, thank God, and we can do
four knots to their one, just let us get clear once."

Moran dragged the hammock back into the cabin, and, returning upon deck,
helped Wilbur to cut away the last tricing tackle. The schooner righted
slowly to an even keel. Meanwhile the junk had set its one lug-sail
and its crew had run out the sweeps. Hoang took the steering sweep and
worked the junk to a position right across the "Bertha's" bows, some
fifty feet ahead.

"They're watching us, right enough," said Wilbur.

"Up your mains'l," ordered Moran. The pair set the fore and main sails
with great difficulty. Moran took the wheel and Wilbur went forward to
cast off the line by which the schooner had been tied up to one of the
whale's flukes.

"Cut it!" cried the girl. "Don't stop to cast off."

There was a hail from the beach-combers; the port sweeps dipped and the
junk bore up nearer.

"Hurry!" shouted Moran, "don't mind them. Are we clear for'ard--what's
the trouble? Something's holding her." The schooner listed slowly to
starboard and settled by the head.

"All clear!" cried Wilbur.

"There's something wrong!" exclaimed Moran; "she's settling for'ard."
Hoang hailed the schooner a second time.

"We're still settling," called Wilbur from the bows, "what's the
matter?"

"Matter that she's taking water," answered Moran wrathfully. "She's
started something below, what with all that lifting and dancing and
tricing up."

Wilbur ran back to the quarterdeck.

"This is a bad fix," he said to Moran. "Those chaps are coming aboard
again. They're on to something, and, of course, at just this moment she
begins to leak."

"They are after that ambergris," said Moran between her teeth. "Smelled
it, of course--the swine!"

"Ambergris?"

"The stuff we found in the whale. That's ambergris."

"Well?"

"Well!" shouted Moran, exasperated. "Do you know that we have found a
lump that will weigh close to 250 pounds, and do you know that ambergris
is selling in San Francisco at $40 an ounce? Do you know that we have
picked up nearly $150,000 right out here in the ocean and are in a fair
way to lose it all?"

"Can't we run for it?"

"Run for it in a boat that's taking water like a sack! Our dory's gone.
Suppose we get clear of the junk, and the 'Bertha' sank? Then wha