Tate," said Noll.

"Afore sunrise," said the other. "Did ye want the skipper, lad?"

"No, not particularly. When is he going to stop here again?"

"Ben? Why, he comes Mondays and Thursdays, he does," said the
fisherman; "ye'll find him here day after to-morrow, lad,--early, too,
mos' like."

"Can you tell me where he left my trunks?" queried Noll.

At this question, the men looked perplexed. "Do ye mean boxes like?"
they asked, after a time.

Noll was astonished at this lack of knowledge, but managed to explain
to the two what he meant.

"Ye'd best go up to Dirk Sharp's," said one; "the skipper leaves much
with Dirk, he does, an' ye'll be like to find 'em there."

"Back o' the wharf, lad,--back o' the wharf Dirk lives," the other
called to Noll, as he walked away.

Dirk Sharp's house was rather smarter than the others,--at least, it
was in better repair; but the look which Noll caught of its interior,
as he stood rapping by the open door, sufficed to destroy any
anticipations of industry or thriftiness which he might have formed
from the dwelling's exterior. Dirk was a great broad-shouldered,
slouching fellow, with a general air of shiftlessness about him. At
Noll's summons, he came lounging out of an inner room, and, catching
sight of the boy, said,--

"Lookin' for yer trunks, lad? The skipper said ye was to hev 'em las'
night, shore; but ye see," pulling up his sleeve, "as how I got a cut
what's hindered," displaying a long, bloody wound upon his arm. "Ye
sh'u'd ha' had 'em, lad, but for that, as the skipper said. But ef ye
ken wait till the men get back from their seinin'--Ho! there be Bob
an' Darby now," he exclaimed, as he spied the two whom Noll had just
passed.

"Ahoy there, lads! here be a job fur ye!" he cried to the fishermen.

The two left their work and came up to Dirk.

"Here be two trunks to go 'roun' to the stone house fur this lad,"
said he. "Ef ye'll shoulder 'em roun' the shore, yer welcome to what
the skipper left fur't. What ye say, lads?"

"We'll do't fur ye, Dirk, seein' yer cut," said the one who was called
Darby. "Where be the boxes, man?"

Dirk led them into the inner room, from whence they presently
emerged, each with a trunk on his shoulder, and, bending with their
burdens, started up the shore.

Noll followed slowly after, wondering why they did not use their boat,
instead of enduring such back-breaking toil. It struck him that he had
never