cruise single-handed right into the middle of the
Come-Outer school and give an old bull whale like Eben the gaff is the
man for my money," declared Zebedee. Most of his fellow-committee agreed
with him. "Not guilty, but don't do it again," was the general verdict.

As for the Come-Outers, they professed to believe that their leader had
much the best of the encounter, so they were satisfied. There was a
note of triumph and exultation in the "testimony" given on the following
Thursday night, and Captain Eben divided his own discourse between
thankfulness for his son's safe return and glorification at the
discomfiture of the false prophets. Practically, then, the result of
Ellery's peace overture was an increased bitterness in the feeling
between the two societies and a polishing of weapons on both sides.

Keziah watched anxiously for a hint concerning her parson's walk in the
rain with Grace, but she heard nothing, so congratulated herself that
the secret had been kept. Ellery did not again mention it to her, nor
she to him. A fortnight later he preached his great sermon on "The
Voyage of Life," and its reference to gales and calms and lee shores and
breakers made a hit. His popularity took a big jump.

He met Nat Hammond during that fortnight. The first meeting was
accompanied by unusual circumstances, which might have been serious, but
were actually only funny.

The tide at Trumet, on the bay side, goes out for a long way, leaving
uncovered a mile and a half of flats, bare and sandy, or carpeted with
seaweed. Between these flats are the channels, varying at low water from
two to four feet in depth, but deepening rapidly as the tide flows.

The flats fascinated the young minister, as they have many another
visitor to the Cape, before or since. On cloudy days they lowered with
a dull, leaden luster and the weed-grown portions were like the dark
squares on a checkerboard, while the deep water beyond the outer bar was
steely gray and angry. When the sun shone and the wind blew clear from
the northwest the whole expanse flashed into fire and color, sapphire
blue, emerald green, topaz yellow, dotted with white shells and ablaze
with diamond sparkles where the reflected light leaped from the flint
crystals of the wet, coarse sand.

The best time to visit the flats--tide serving, of course--is the early
morning at sunrise. Then there is an inspiration in the wide expanse, a
snap and tang and joy in the air. Ellery had mad