on to dem dar lobstas. Tell
you what it is now, dey come nigh onto bein de dearest lobstas you
ebber eat. I'be done a good deal in de way ob puttin myself out to get
a dinna at odd times for you, chil'en; but dis time I almost put myself
out ob dis mortial life. So when you get your dinnas to-day, you may
tink on what dat ar dinna come nigh to costin."

"I wonder that you held on to them so tight, when they brought you into
such danger."

"Hole on? Why, dat ar's de berry reason why I did hole on. What, let
go ob dem arter all my trouble on dat count? No. I was bound to hab
somethin to show whenebber I got back, if I ebber did get back; and so
here I am, all alibe, an a bringin my lobstas wid me."

"Well, Solomon," said Bart, in a kindly tone, "old man, the lobsters
have come near costing us pretty dear, and we felt bad enough, I can
tell you, when we went up there along the shore calling for you and
getting no answer."

"What, you did car for de ole man, Mas'r Bart--did you?" said Solomon,
in a tremulous voice. Tears started to his eyes as he said it, and all
power of saying anything more seemed to depart from him. He fell back
behind the others, and walked on for the rest of the way in silence,
but at times casting upon Bart glances that spoke volumes, and talking
to himself in inaudible tones.

In this way they soon reached the wharf where the schooner was lying.

The first thing that they noticed was, that the schooner was aground.
The tide had gone out too far for her to float away, and consequently
there was no hope of resuming their voyage for that day.

"We're in for it, captain," said Bruce

"Yes; I felt afeard of it," said the captain. "We've got to wait here
till the next tide."

"We'll leave to-night, of course."

"O, yes. We must get off at the night's tide, and drop down the bay."

"How far had we better go?"

"Wal, I ben a thinkin it all over, an it's my opinion that we'd better
go to St. John next. We may hear of him there, an ef he don't turn up
we can send out some more vessels, an give warnin that he's astray on
the briny biller."

"At what time will we be able to leave?"

"Wal, it'll not be high tide till near one o'clock, but we can git off
ef thar's a wind a leetle before midnight."

"Do you think the wind will hold on?"

The captain raised his head, and looked at the sky; then he looked out
to sea, and then he remained silent for a few minutes.

"Wal," said he, at l