e stern
was high out of water and some piled into the rigging. Some were
calling out and giving advice to others. We could hear them plainly.
Two jumped to the wheel and threw it up, but she would not right.

We had the Johnnie to keep right side up, but we saw the whole thing.
It could not have been more than two or three minutes from the time
the squall struck her when she was going down head-first. Those of her
crew who had gone to the stern were going with her, but those who had
taken to the rigging, by leaping wide came clear. Their seine-boat,
which had been towing astern, might have been of use to them, but
being fast to the vessel by the painter it was pretty well filled with
water before anybody had a chance to cut the painter. The man that
cut it went down with the vessel. He was all right, whoever he was.
Those in the water were looking about for the dory, and found that
half full of water, too. They were trying to bail the water out of the
dory, after hauling it across the bow of the submerged seine-boat,
when we got them in our seine-boat and picked up what was left of
them.

Nine of them were lost, her skipper among them. One of the men
saved--the cook--said that when the squall struck the vessel, Captain
Ripley had been seen to jump for the boom tackle, which he unhitched,
and then to spring for the lashings of the dory, which he cut with his
knife. The cook also said that he thought the skipper lost his life
because of the half-stunning blow that he must have received from the
fore-boom while he was on the rail trying to free the dory. The vessel
was sinking all the time and it being dark--or near it in the
squall--I suppose Captain Ripley could not watch everything. No doubt,
it was the fore-boom hit him and knocked him overboard. Certainly he
was knocked overboard, and the last seen of him he was swimming and
pushing an empty barrel before him to one of the crew. "Keep your
nerve up," he called to the cook, and after that he suddenly
disappeared. He got a man's death, anyway.

We rowed back to the Duncan with the survivors. Nine men gone--it was
a hard story to take home with us, but we had it to do. It was all a
part of fishing life, and so we put back for Gloucester.

XXII

ON THE CAPE SHORE

While we were into Gloucester, after taking home the crew of the Ruth
Ripley, our vessel was put on the ways. That was after a talk between
the skipper and Mr. Duncan. There is always something t