es out of fabric thou 'lt
find to hand," cried the captain, his temper flashing up again; but
Barbara neither turned nor replied as she fled down the hill to hide the
tears she could no longer restrain.

Howbeit she said no word to Bradford of the return passage, a fact which
Standish easily discovered when early next morning he met the governor
and stopped to say to him,--

"Well met, Will; I was on my road to seek thee, man."

"Ay, and for what, brother?"

"Why, Will, I'm moped with naught to do, and all these strange faces at
every turn. I liked it better when we were to ourselves and it was only
to fight the Neponsets now and again. I fain would find some work
further agate than yon palisado."

"Why, then, thy wish and my desire fit together as cup and ball, for
here is the Little James unladen and idle. She is to stay with us, thou
knowest, for use in trading and fishing, but Bridges, her master, saith
some of his men are grumbling already at prospect of such peaceful
emprises. They fain would go buccaneering in the Spanish Seas, or
discover some such road to hasty fortune, albeit bloody and violent.
Master Bridges and I agreed that it was best to find work for these
uneasy souls withouten too much delay, and I told him we had been
thinking to send a party to look after the fishing-stage we built last
year at Cape Ann. Gloucester, they say Roger Conant hath named the place
already. Now what say you, Myles? Will take some men and join them to
Bridges' buccaneers, and hold all in hand and start them on fishing?"

"'T will suit me woundy well, governor. Howbeit, 't is not the time for
cod, is it?"

"No, but mackerel and bluefish are in season, and at all odds 't is well
to be on hand to claim the staging, for Conant hath sent word by an
Indian that some English ships were harrying our fishermen at Monhegan,
and we had best look to our properties in those regions."

"Ay, ay, 't is as thou sayest, Will, like cup and ball, thy need and my
desire. How soon can we sail?"

"Why, to-night, an' it pleaseth thee. Bridges is in haste to get off,
and the sooner the Little James is afloat the more content he will find
himself. And as to thy company. Here is a minute of the men I had
thought on."

"H--m, h--m," muttered the captain glancing over the list handed him by
Bradford. "Yes, these are sound good fellows all, and none of them
burthened with wives. And by that same token, Will, thou and thy dame
will care for m