e boat what remained. When that
heaving, sparkling, jerking mass of quicksilver at last was
captured--shining all through the brown meshes of the net--the younger
lads sat down quite exhausted, wet through, and happy.

'Man, Rob, what do you think of that?' said Neil in amazement.

'What do I think?' said Rob; 'I think that if we could get two or three
more hauls like that I would soon buy a share in Coll MacDougall's boat
and go after the herring.'

They had no more thought that afternoon of 'cuddy'-fishing after this
famous take. Rob and Neil--the younger ones having had their
share--rowed back to Erisaig; then Rob left the boat at the slip, and
walked up to the office of the fish-salesman.

'What will ye give me for mackerel?' he said.

The salesman laughed at him, thinking he had caught a few with rods and
flies.

'I'm no buying mackerel,' said he; 'no by the half-dozen.'

'I've half a boat load,' said Rob.

The salesman glanced towards the slip, and saw the tailor's boat pretty
low in the water.

'Is that mackerel?'

'Yes, it is mackerel.'

'Where were you buying them?'

'I was not buying them anywhere. I caught them myself--my brothers and
me.'

'I do not believe you.'

'I cannot help that, then,' said Rob. 'But where had I the money to
buy mackerel from any one?'

The salesman glanced at the boat again.

'I'll go down to the slip with you.'

So he and Rob together walked down to the slip, and the salesmen had a
look at the mackerel. Apparently he had arrived at the conclusion
that, after all, Rob was not likely to have bought a cargo of mackerel
as a commercial speculation.

'Well, I will buy the mackerel from you,' he said. 'I will give you
half-a-crown the hundred for them.'

'Half-a-crown!' said Rob. 'I will take three-and-sixpence the hundred
for them.'

'I will not give it to you. But I will give you three shillings the
hundred, and a good price, too.'

'Very well, then,' said Rob.

So the MacNicols got altogether 2 pounds 8 shillings for that load of
mackerel: and out of that Rob spent the eight shillings on still
further improving the net; the 2 pounds going into the savings bank.
It is to be imagined that after this they kept a pretty sharp look-out
for 'broken water;' but of course they could not expect to run across a
shoal of mackerel every day.

However, as time went on, with bad luck and with good, and by dint of
hard and constant work whatever the luck was, t