have to wait and take it in."

"I expect our next move depends very largely on you, captain," replied
White. "Are you still willing to trade your cargo for our pack?"

"I might be, and then again I mightn't," answered the Yankee, as he
meditatively chewed a blade of grass. "You see, the risk of the thing
has been so increased during the past two days that I couldn't make
nigh so good an offer now as I could at first. Also, here's so many
claiming the pack of this factory that I'm in considerable doubt as to
who is the rightful owner. First there's the Baldwin interest and the
American interest, represented by you two chaps. Then there's the St.
Johns interest, represented by that travelling man; the British
interest, which is a mighty powerful one, seeing that it is supported
by the English navy; the French government interest, which is likewise
backed up by a fleet of warships, and the French factory interest,
represented by our friend in limbo, who, though he isn't saying much
just now, seems to have a pretty strong political pull. So, on the
whole, the ownership appears to be muddled, and the pack itself subject
to a good many conflicting claims. I expect also that the factory
workmen and the lobster catchers have some sort of a lien on it for
services rendered."

"Look here, Captain Bland," said Cabot, "we understand perfectly that
all you have just said is trade talk, made to depreciate the value of
our goods, and you know as well as I do that they have but one rightful
owner."

"Who is that?" asked the skipper with an air of interest.

"Mrs. William Baldwin."

"But I thought she deeded the property to you."

"So she did; but as I am not yet of age that deed is worth no more than
the paper on which it is written."

"You don't mean it. What a whopping big bluff it was then!" cried
Captain Bland, admiringly. "Beats any I ever heard of, and I'm proud
to know 'twas a Yankee that worked it. What you say does alter the
situation considerable, and I'd like to have Miss Baldwin's own views
on the subject of a trade."

In accordance with this wish an adjournment was made to the house,
where Mrs. Baldwin assured the Yankee skipper of her willingness to
abide by any agreement made with him by her son and Mr. Grant.

"Which so simplifies matters, ma'am," replied the captain, "that I
think we may consider a trade as already effected, and make bold to say
that this season's pack of the Pretty Harbour lobst