nnell made him lie flat--and then all of us but Clancy, who
refused to lie down but compromised by leaning over the house and
watching the cutter and making comments on her actions for the benefit
of the rest of us. Through it all O'Donnell stood to the wheel and the
nearest he came to honoring the cutter by a compliment was when he'd
half turn his head, spit over the rail and swear at her. The wind and
sea-way together were too much for the cutter. The Colleen left her
behind, and she at last drew off after bunching a few farewell shots.

O'Donnell then hove-to and took his seine-boat on deck. He had been
towing it the wrong end foremost for the whole forty miles, and he was
worried over it. "It's strained her maybe--and she almost a new boat,"
he lamented. "For the rest I don't care. That lad had it in for me all
along. The other one though, he's decent--never bothers a man without
a little reason. I was going home anyway for the race, and so it don't
matter. I suppose Maurice will be along soon, Tommie? Did you see him
coming after the cutter--he held her fine and he in no trim. What's it
they say about Hollis beating the Johnnie yesterday? If he did, be
sure he was specially prepared, and the Johnnie had an off-day. But I
suppose he'll be holding on now for Gloucester?"

Clancy said maybe, but no telling, and explained how it had been--the
skipper's discouragement after Hollis had beaten him.

O'Donnell said he was foolish to worry over a thing like that. "I know
Sam Hollis," he said--"'twas a trap he laid for Maurice. He's got a
smart vessel in the Withrow, but he can't run away from Maurice. No,
nor beat him I doubt--with both in trim. But wait a while--let the day
of the race get near and Maurice to thinking it over, and you'll see
him flyin' home."

We hoped so. For ourselves we went home on the Colleen. There was
nothing else for us to do. We had quite a time of it that trip with
O'Donnell. He sailed about five hundred miles out of his way--away to
the eastward and s'uth'ard. There might be cruisers and cutters galore
after him, he said--they might put out from Halifax, or telegraph
ahead--you couldn't tell what they might do, he said, and so he sailed
the Colleen out to sea. But we came across the Bay one dark night
without side-lights, and reached Boston all right. O'Donnell had a
suit of sails stowed away in an East Boston wharf that he wanted to
get out for the race. And also he didn't like his new forem