ipe, and went on greasing. The
captain of a bay schooner is supposed to work with his hands just as
well as the men.

Ole Ericsen verified Charley's conjecture that the _Mary Rebecca_, as
soon as launched, would run up the San Joaquin River nearly to
Stockton for a load of wheat. Then Charley made his proposition, and
Ole Ericsen shook his head.

"Just a hook, one good-sized hook," Charley pleaded.

"No, Ay tank not," said Ole Ericsen. "Der _Mary Rebecca_ yust hang up
on efery mud-bank with that hook. Ay don't want to lose der _Mary
Rebecca_. She's all Ay got."

"No, no," Charley hurried to explain. "We can put the end of the hook
through the bottom from the outside, and fasten it on the inside with
a nut. After it's done its work, why, all we have to do is to go down
into the hold, unscrew the nut, and out drops the hook. Then drive a
wooden peg into the hole, and the _Mary Rebecca_ will be all right
again."

Ole Ericsen was obstinate for a long time; but in the end, after we
had had dinner with him, he was brought round to consent.

"Ay do it, by Yupiter!" he said, striking one huge fist into the palm
of the other hand. "But yust hurry you up with der hook. Der _Mary
Rebecca_ slides into der water to-night."

It was Saturday, and Charley had need to hurry. We headed for the
shipyard blacksmith shop, where, under Charley's directions, a most
generously curved hook of heavy steel was made. Back we hastened to
the _Mary Rebecca_. Aft of the great centre-board case, through what
was properly her keel, a hole was bored. The end of the hook was
inserted from the outside, and Charley, on the inside, screwed the nut
on tightly. As it stood complete, the hook projected over a foot
beneath the bottom of the schooner. Its curve was something like the
curve of a sickle, but deeper.

In the late afternoon the _Mary Rebecca_ was launched, and
preparations were finished for the start up-river next morning.
Charley and Ole intently studied the evening sky for signs of wind,
for without a good breeze our project was doomed to failure. They
agreed that there were all the signs of a stiff westerly wind--not the
ordinary afternoon sea-breeze, but a half-gale, which even then was
springing up.

Next morning found their predictions verified. The sun was shining
brightly, but something more than a half-gale was shrieking up the
Carquinez Straits, and the _Mary Rebecca_ got under way with two reefs
in her mainsail and one in her