of a needle, and
that only a blind man will buy her."

He went back to his crew, much disgusted, ordered the freshly arrived
tug to wait for a tow, and spurred laggard toilers with sharp profanity.

"Somebody has been scaring his concern," suggested Mayo, left alone with
Captain Dodge.

"Perhaps so--but it may be good business to get scared, provided they
can unload this onto somebody else for a little ready cash. This spell
of weather can't last much longer. Look at that bank to s'uthard. I
don't know just what is under her in the way of ledges--never knew much
about old Razee. But my prediction is, she'll break in two as soon as
the waves give her any motion."

It was on the tip of Mayo's tongue to argue the matter with the tugboat
man, but he took second thought and shut his mouth.

"You're probably right," he admitted. "I'd better be moving. I don't
see any fish jumping aboard our schooner. We've got to go and catch 'em.
Good-by, Dodge."

When his associate came in over the rail of the _Ethel and May_ Captain
Candage, from force of habit, having picked up his men, gave orders to
let her off into the wind.

"Hold her all-aback!" commanded Mayo. "Excuse me, Captain Candage, for
a cross-order, but I've got a bit of news I want you to hear before we
leave. The junk crowd has got cold feet and are going to sell as she
stands, as soon as they get cargoes for those lighters."

"Well, she does lay in a bad way, and weather is making," said the
skipper, fiddling his forefinger under his nose dubiously.

"They haven't even skimmed the cream off her--probably will get all her
cargo that's worth saving and some loose stuff in the rigging line. By
gad! what a chance for a gamble!"

"It might be for a feller who had so much money he could kiss a slice
of it good-by in case the Atlantic Ocean showed aces," said the old man,
revealing a sailor's familiarity with a popular game.

"There is such a thing as being desperate enough to stake your whole
bundle," declared Mayo. "Captain, I'm young, and I suppose I have got
a young man's folly. I can't expect you to feel the way I feel about a
gamble."

"I may look old, but I haven't gone to seed yet," grumbled the skipper.
"What are you trying to get through you?"

"That fat man on that lighter has a telegram in his pocket from his
folks in Boston, ordering him to take the first offer that is made for
the _Conomo_ as she stands. I'm fool enough to be willing to put in
eve