ear them.

"Hurt, my lad? Why, it was in one of the worst storms I can 'member.
Tell him about the poor souls, Will."

"The packet ran right on the rocks, Master Arthur," said Will solemnly.
"Where we are is one mass of tossing foam in a storm, and the froth and
spray fly over the Mew Rock here. Directly the packet had struck a
great wave came in and lifted her right up and then dropped her again
across the ridge yonder, and she broke right in two."

"Like a radish," said Josh.

"And one end went down in the deep water one side, the other end the
other side."

"Ay," said Josh, "it's very deep water out there, and they used to be at
work regular for months and months getting out the cargo and engines
when the weather was calm."

"But the people--the people?" cried Arthur. "What became of them?"

"Hah!" ejaculated Josh. "What come o' them?"

"Were they drowned?" said Dick.

"Every poor creature on board," said Will.

"And none of you fishermen went out in your boats to help them?" cried
Dick indignantly.

"Just hark at him," cried Josh. "A mussy me! He's never seed the sea
in a storm when--Look out, Master Awthur," he whispered.

It was pretty dark, but Josh's eyes were accustomed to that transparent
gloom, and he had noted a tremulous motion of the boy's line almost
before Arthur started, for there was a gentle, insidious touch at his
bait that telegraphed along the line to his fingers, and then drew it
softly through them as the fish, whatever it was, took the bait and
began to swim away.

Arthur started as Josh whispered to him, and his fingers closed upon the
line.

The moment before this latter was moving as if some tiny fish were
drawing it from him; but the moment his closing hands checked the line's
progress there was a tremendous jerk and a rush; and as, in spite of
himself, Arthur held on, it seemed as if a boy a good deal stronger than
himself were trying to pull it out of his hands, and after a few furious
struggles seated himself, to hang at the end with his whole weight.

"I told you so," said Josh in satisfied tones. "I knowed as well as
could be that there would be a big one down yonder, and I think it is a
big one, eh, Master Rawthur."

"It's--it's a monster," panted Arthur. "Hadn't we better let it go?"

"Let it do what?" cried Josh. "A mussy me! what do he mean?"

"Oh! I say, Taff, you are a lucky one," cried Dick in genuine
disappointed tones. "On! all right, we've got