ng questions, too, are
so confused with international issues that we don't undertake to decide
them."

"And what will happen to the schooner?"

"A prize crew will be put aboard. Take her to Unalaska. The revenue
cutter will pick them up afterwards. Probably start for Valdez without
delay. Captain Murchison said this morning that he wanted to go along."

"I wonder if I'll have to go?" said Colin. "I'm sure I don't want to, at
least, not yet. There's ever so much more that I want to find out about
seals, and I've hardly started. If I'm ever lucky enough to get into the
Bureau of Fisheries, I hope I shall have a chance to get something to do
on this fur seal service."

"Fur seal's very important. But only a small part of the Bureau of
Fisheries," the agent said, and outlined to Colin the general workings
of the Bureau, in which he showed the practical value of the work.

"I know. I want to join the Bureau," the boy persisted, "not only
because I think there's more fun in it than in anything else, but
because I like everything about it."

"What do your folks say about the plan?" the Fisheries agent queried.

"They know I want it," the lad replied, "but I never felt that I knew
enough about the Bureau to say that I didn't care to do anything else.
Father's always wanted me to take up lumbering or forestry or sawmills
or something to do with timber. He's quite a big lumberman, you know.
But, some way, that never appealed to me."

"Your father ought to know," the other said. "Obviously! And if he owns
timber lands, I think it's up to you to be a help. Lots of interesting
angles to the lumber business. And if the timber lands are going to
descend to you, you'll have to look after them, anyway."

"But they won't," objected Colin; "that's just it. In about ten years
that timber will be all cut off. I'm pretty sure Father will let me join
the Bureau," the boy continued, "because he's wild about fishing
himself. Why, just now, he's down at Santa Catalina, angling for big
game."

"Some difference between the Fisheries Bureau and angling for sport,"
the agent warned him. "I've been in the business all my life. But I've
never even learned to cast a fly! It's a serious business, and down in
Washington you'll find that the value of the work to the people of the
United States is the chief aim of the Bureau."

"It may be serious, but I should think that there is always something
new. And, anyway," Colin said enthusiastically,