en out of debt. With her boats paid for, she could
afford to be independent. Now, she was going further behind each day.
Worse than that, she was falling down on her contract.

* * * * *

Finishing his business with the contractor a half-hour before closing
time, Gregory hurried down to the Lang wharf.

He found the girl busied with her tally-sheets and stepped behind a row
of fish-boxes and waited. From his position he could see the neighboring
dock where a number of alien fishermen were at work mending nets. Apart
from the others was the huge figure of a red-shirted man standing
motionless, scowling in the direction of the Lang wharf. As he looked
closer, he became conscious of the fact that he had seen the red-shirted
giant before.

Boisterous laughter floated across the intervening strip of water and a
scarlet sleeve flashed as the big man shook his fist threateningly at
the rival dock.

"They are kidding the Russian about losing the _Roma_ and getting canned
by the boss," explained a fisherman who was passing by. "Boris is sorer
than a boiled owl at being run on the rocks by a girl."

Gregory watched the excited foreigner in silence. A man like that could
cause a lot of trouble. Suddenly he heard the sound of low voices on the
other side of the lane of fish-boxes.

"What's that got to do with it? We've got to live as well as she has. We
ain't gettin' enough I tell you, and you know it. What's the use of
bein' a damn fool?"

The words died away in a low mumble as the men passed on. Gregory
emerged from his cover and looked after the two fishermen. Then he
noticed the girl had finished her calculations and hurried toward her.

"I suppose you want to know what I have," she anticipated. "Well, I
haven't much yet. If you stay round a little while though I'll show you
a real haul. I'm expecting my boats back at any minute from El Diablo."

Gregory scarcely knew how to begin the interview. The girl was clearly
unreasonable and flared up at the slightest intimation that she was
unable to manage her own business. And yet it was perfectly clear that
she could not.

"Fish is what we're needing right now," he said with blunt emphasis.
"We're ready to go. McCoy has a good crew and he can handle them fast. A
whole lot faster than we've been getting them," he added.

She interrupted as he knew she would.

"Well, I'm doing my level darnedest," she retorted. "If I wasn't I guess
I woul