he rail.

"That's all of log to date," he mumbled in soliloquy. "Now if I could
see--"

He uttered an exclamation and peered into the tube with anxiety.

"Here!" he cried. "You take it, Cap'n. I ain't used to it, and it
wobbles. But it's either them or gulls a-flappin'."

Cap'n Sproul's brown hands clasped the rope-wound telescope, and he
trained its lens with seaman's steadiness.

"It's them," he said, with a chuckle of immense satisfaction. They're
hoppin' up and down on the high ridge, and slattin' their arms in
the air. It ain't no joy-dance, that ain't. I've seen Patagonian
Injuns a war-dancin'. It's like that. They've got that plank cover
pried up. I wisht I could hear what they are sayin'."

"I can imagine," returned Hiram, grimly. "Hold it stiddy, so's I can
look. Them old arms of Colonel Gid is goin' some," he observed, after
a pause. "It will be a wonder if he don't shake his fists off."

"There certainly is something cheerful about it--lookin' back and
knowin' what they must be sayin'," observed the Cap'n, losing his
temporary gloom. "I reckon I come by this check honest, after all,
considerin' what he done to me on them timber lands."

"Well, it beats goin' to law," grinned Hiram. "Here you be, so afraid
of lawyers--and with good reason--that you'd have let him get away
with his plunder before you'd have gone to law--and he knew it when
he done you. You've taken back what's your own, in your own way,
without havin' to give law-shysters the biggest part for gettin' it.
Shake!" And chief plotter and the benefited clasped fists with
radiant good-nature. The Cap'n broke his grip in order to twirl the
wheel, it being necessary to take a red buoy to port.

"We're goin' to slide out of sight of 'em in a few minutes," he said,
looking back over his shoulder regretfully. "I wisht I had a crew!
I could stand straight out through that passage on a long tack to
port, fetch Half-way Rock, and slide into Portland on the starboard
tack, and stay in sight of 'em pretty nigh all day. It would keep
'em busy thinkin' if we stayed in sight."

"Stand out," advised Hiram, eagerly. "We ain't in any hurry. Let's
rub it into 'em. Stand out."

"With them pea-bean pullers to work ship?" He pointed to the devoted
band of Smyrna fire-fighters, who were joyously gathering in with
varying luck a supply of tomcod and haddock to furnish the larder
inshore. "When I go huntin' for trouble it won't be with a gang of
hoss-marines