cale armour, and running some three or four pounds weight each.
Then there was nearly a score of the vermilion-and-orange-dyed red
mullet, brilliant little fellows; a few small-sized mackerel; a few
gurnard, a basketful of little flat fish, and a number of small fry,
which had to be dealt with gingerly, for among them were several of the
poisonous little weevels, whose sharp back fins and spines make
dangerous wounds.

At last all were gathered up; and after giving orders for the seine to
be carefully shaken clear and spread out to dry upon the downs, the two
lads proceeded to select a sufficiency of the red and grey mullet for
home use, and a brace for Sam Hardock, and then made a distribution of
the rest, the men from the mine having gathered to look on and receive.
Gwyn and Joe took a handle each of their rough basket, and began to
trudge up the cliff path, stopping about half-way to look down at the
people below.

"I say, how Tom Dinass enjoys a job of this kind," said Gwyn, as he
turned over their captives in the basket, and noted how rapidly their
lovely colours began to fade.

"Yes, better than mining," said Joe, thoughtfully. "I say, why is he so
precious fond of hunting about among the rocks at low-water?"

"I don't know. Is he?"

"Yes. I've watched him from my window several times. I can just look
over that rocky stretch that's laid bare by the tide."

"Why, you can't see much from there," said Gwyn.

"Yes I can. I've got father's field-glass up, and I can see him quite
plain. I saw him yesterday morning just at daylight. I'd been in
father's room to give him his medicine, for his fever has been
threatening to come back."

"Trying to find a lobster or a crab or two."

"People don't go lobstering with a hammer."

"Expected to find a conger, then, and wanted the hammer to knock it
down."

Joe laughed.

"You've got to hit a conger before you can knock it down. Not easy with
a hammer."

"Well, what was he doing?"

"Oh, I don't know, unless he was chipping the stones to try whether a
vein of tin runs up there."

"Well, it may," said Gwyn, thoughtfully. "Why shouldn't it?"

"I don't know why it shouldn't, but it isn't likely."

"Why not, when the mine runs right under there."

"What? Nonsense!"

"It does. I was down that part with Sam Hardock one day when the wind
was blowing hard, and Sam could hear the waves beat and the big boulders
rumble tumbling after as they fell back."