."

"What's the best way of handling our catch?"

"The fish you can split and salt and take over to Matinicus once a week.
Your lobsters will sell easy to some smackman. Captain Ben Higgins comes
east from Portland every week in the _Calista_; he's been in the habit
of making Tarpaulin his next port of call after York Island. You'll find
him square as a brick. Better buy your supplies at Matinicus; it's a
strong twelve miles off, but that isn't a bad run in decent weather."

The boys rose to go.

"Well, Uncle Tom," said Jim, "the next time we see each other, I hope
you'll be feeling fit as a fiddle."

"You can't wish that any harder than I do, my boy. Oh, by the way, I
nearly forgot one thing. Here, Nemo!"

A fox-terrier, lying on a rug, sprang up alertly. He was white, except
for two brown ears and a diamond of the same color on the top of his
head.

"Better take this dog along. The mate of a St. John coaster gave him to
me last fall. I call him Captain Nemo. He's death on rats; and there's
some on the island this year. Must have come ashore from a schooner
wrecked there in the winter. Another thing! Got any gun?"

"No."

"Then there's my ten-gauge." He indicated a double-barreled shot-gun
standing in the corner. "You'll find a couple of boxes of loaded shells
in that table drawer. You may want to kill some ducks in the fall. Only
don't shoot Oso!"

"Oso?"

"Yes. My tame crow. I had a Spanish fellow with me a few weeks last
summer, and he found the bird in a nest. Clipped one wing, so he
couldn't get away from the island. Named him 'Oso'; said it meant 'The
Bear.' He'll pester ye to death round the fish-house, after he gets
acquainted."

Putting Nemo on a leash and taking the gun, the boys filed out. Uncle
Tom called Jim back.

"I almost forgot to tell you to go to Parker's for your outfit. He'll
use you right. Who's that pale-faced fellow with the tow head?"

Spurling told him briefly about Percy. Uncle Tom grunted.

"Needs salting, doesn't he? Well, he'll get it out there."

Down in Parker's general store on the main street the boys purchased
their supplies. They laid in a generous stock of provisions of all
sorts, and under Jim's expert direction reinforced the weak spots in
their wardrobes to adapt them to the demands of the next three months.
Oil-clothes, heavy under-clothing, hip boots of red rubber, white,
doughnut-shaped woolen "nippers" for pulling trawls, and various other
articles for c