s no doubt about it; either the cutter was moving or the pier
and shore. To Arthur it seemed as if the latter had suddenly begun to
run away from them, and was dancing up and down with joy because it had
found the chance.

"Dick," whispered Arthur, after beckoning his brother to his side, where
he was holding on by the weather shrouds.

"Hullo!" cried Dick, laughing. "Oh, I say, Taff, isn't it fun? I can't
walk."

"I'm sure it isn't safe," whispered Arthur.

"Eh? What? Not safe?"

"No, I'm sure it isn't. We shall be blown over."

"Oh, never mind," said Dick. "They'll turn her round and blow her up
again. I say, Taff; don't be afraid. We sha'n't hurt."

"But if we were to be drowned, Dick, what would papa say?"

"Don't know. He wouldn't like it, though. But we sha'n't be drowned.
Look at Will. He'd know if there was any danger, and he's as cool as
can be. Come, pluck up. Let go of that rope. You'll soon get used to
it."

Arthur turned a ghastly face to him.

"I'm trying to master being frightened, Dick," he said humbly; "but I
must go home again; I'm going to be sick."

"Nonsense!" cried Dick, laughing. "There, think about something else.
There, look, they're going to use the net."

To Arthur's great delight the speed of the smack was checked, and the
busy preparations took up his attention, so that the qualm passed off,
and he crept to his brother's side and listened as Josh was explaining
the use of the trawl-net, which the men were about to lower over the
side.

"There you are, you see," said Josh; "here's your net, just like a
night-cap with a wide end and a little end, as we calls the bunt.
There's pockets to it as well, only you can't very well see 'em now.
When she's hauled up with fish in you'll see 'em better then."

"And what's this big piece of wood?"

"Trawl-beam," said Josh; "thirty-footer, to keep the meshes of the net
stretched wide open at the top. Bottom's free so as to drag over the
bottom. And them's the trawl-irons, to fit on the end of the beam and
skate along the sand and keep all down."

"And the rope's tied to them?" said Dick.

"Rope?" said Josh. "You mean the bridle. That's right, my lad, and
down she goes."

Over went the huge, cumbersome apparatus of beam, irons, and net, the
weighty irons being so arranged as to take the trawl to the bottom in
the right position so that the net with its stout edge rope should
scrape over the sand as the cutter saile