matter o' seven seasons," returned Tom Platt coolly. "Good stowin's
good stowin' all the same, an' there's a right an' a wrong way o'
stowin' ballast even. If you'd ever seen four hundred ton o' iron set
into the--"

"Hi!" With a yell from Manuel the work began again, and never stopped
till the pen was empty. The instant the last fish was down, Disko Troop
rolled aft to the cabin with his brother; Manuel and Long Jack went
forward; Tom Platt only waited long enough to slide home the hatch ere
he too disappeared. In half a minute Harvey heard deep snores in the
cabin, and he was staring blankly at Dan and Penn.

"I did a little better that time, Danny," said Penn, whose eyelids were
heavy with sleep. "But I think it is my duty to help clean."

"'Wouldn't hev your conscience fer a thousand quintal," said Dan. "Turn
in, Penn. You've no call to do boy's work. Draw a bucket, Harvey. Oh,
Penn, dump these in the gurry-butt 'fore you sleep. Kin you keep awake
that long?"

Penn took up the heavy basket of fish-livers, emptied them into a cask
with a hinged top lashed by the foc'sle; then he too dropped out of
sight in the cabin.

"Boys clean up after dressin' down an' first watch in ca'am weather is
boy's watch on the _We're Here_." Dan sluiced the pen energetically,
unshipped the table, set it up to dry in the moonlight, ran the red
knife-blades through a wad of oakum, and began to sharpen them on a
tiny grindstone, as Harvey threw offal and backbones overboard under
his direction.

At the first splash a silvery-white ghost rose bolt upright from the
oily water and sighed a weird whistling sigh. Harvey started back with
a shout, but Dan only laughed.

"Grampus," said he. "Beggin' fer fish-heads. They up-eend the way when
they're hungry. Breath on him like the doleful tombs, hain't he?" A
horrible stench of decayed fish filled the air as the pillar of white
sank, and the water bubbled oilily. "Hain't ye never seen a grampus
up-eend before? You'll see 'em by hundreds 'fore ye're through. Say,
it's good to hev a boy aboard again. Otto was too old, an' a Dutchy at
that. Him an' me we fought consid'ble. 'Wouldn't ha' keered fer that ef
he'd hed a Christian tongue in his head. Sleepy?"

"Dead sleepy," said Harvey, nodding forward.

"Mustn't sleep on watch. Rouse up an' see ef our anchor-light's bright
an' shinin'. You're on watch now, Harve."

"Pshaw! What's to hurt us? Bright's day. Sn-orrr!"

"Jest when things happen