Eddie Parsons. Eddie was not a family man.

XXIV

THE WITHROW OUTSAILS THE DUNCAN

We certainly were feeling pretty good along about that time, and we
felt better when next day, cruising in and out among the fleet, other
crews began to take notice of our catch. By that time the word had
gone around. One after another they came sailing up--as if to size us
up was the last thing that could enter their heads--rounding to, and
then a hail. Something like this it went:

"Hulloh, Maurice."

"Hulloh, Wesley," or George Drake, or Al McNeill, or whoever it might
be.

"That's a mighty pretty deckload of fish. When'd y'get 'em?"

"Oh, twenty barrels yesterday morning and the rest last night."

"That so? How many d'y'call 'em, Maurice?"

"How many? Oh, two hundred and eighty or ninety wash barrels. Ought to
head up about two sixty."

"That so? Fine, Maurice, fine. As handsome a deckload as I've seen
this year."

And he would bear off, and another vessel would come and go through
the same ceremony. It was very satisfying to us and the skipper must
have felt proud. Not that a lot bigger hauls had not been made by
other men before--indeed, yes, and by the very men perhaps who were
complimenting him. But three hundred barrels, or near it, in pickle at
one time does look fine on a vessel's deck, and they looked especially
fine at this time because there was not another vessel in the fleet
that had half as many, so far as we knew.

Not another but Sam Hollis--or so he claimed. He came ranging up that
same day and began asking how the Duncan was sailing lately, and
followed that up by saying he himself had two hundred odd barrels in
the hold. He showed about sixty wash barrels on deck. We did not
believe he had twenty below. She looked cork light. "If she sets as
high out of water with two hundred and forty barrels, then you ought
to put two hundred and forty more in her and she'd fly," called out
Clancy to Hollis, and that was pretty much what we all thought.

And 'twas Sam Hollis made trouble for the Duncan that day. He bore off
then but came back in the afternoon. More talk there was, and it wound
up by our racing with him. We did not start out to race, but
gradually, as we found ourselves jogging along side by side, jibs
were drawn away and sheets began to be trimmed. The first thing we
knew we found ourselves swaying up sails, and then before we really
woke up to it we were both off and away before a little b