sir!"

The skipper gave his mate a disgusted stare. "You're a devil of a man
to keep up a conversation with!" He spat against the wall of the fog and
again let loose the freighter's hoarse lament.

From somewhere, ahead, a horn wailed, dividing its call into two blasts.

"Port tack and headed acrost us," snarled the master, after a sniff at
the air and a squint at the sluggish ripple.

"Why ain't the infernal fool anchored, instead of drifting around
underfoot? How does he bear, Mr. Mayo?" He was now back to pilot-house
formality with his mate.

"Two points and a half, starboard bow, sir. And there's another chap
giving one horn in about the same direction."

"Another drifter--not wind enough for 'em to know what tack they're
really on. Well, there's always Article Twenty-seven to fall back on,"
grumbled the skipper. He quoted sarcastically in the tone in which that
rule is mouthed so often in pilot-houses along coast: '"Due regard shall
be had to all dangers of navigation and collision, and to any special
circumstances which may render a departure from the above rules
necessary, and so forth and et cetry. Meaning, thank the Lord, that a
steamer can always run away from a gad-slammed schooner, even at half
speed. Hope if it ever comes to a showdown the secretary of the bureau
of commerce will agree with me. Ease her off to starboard, Mr. Mayo,
till we bring 'em abeam."

The mate gave a quick glance at the compass. "East by nothe, Jack," he
commanded.

"East by nothe, sir," repeated the quartermaster in mechanical tones,
spinning the big wheel to the left.

It was evident that the _Nequasset_ had considerable company on the sea
that day. A little abaft her beam a tugboat was blowing one long and two
short, indicating her tow. She had been their "chum" for some time, and
Mayo had occasionally taken her bearings by sound and compass and knew
that the freighter was slowly forging ahead. He figured, listening again
to the horns, that the Nequasset was headed to clear all.

"You take a skipper who studies his book and is always ready to look
the department in the eye, without flinching, he has to mind his
own business and mind the other fellow's, too," said Captain Wass,
continuing his monologue of grouch. "Dodging here and there, keeping out
of the way, two days behind schedule, meat three times a day or else
you can't keep a crew, and everybody hearty at meal-time! My owners have
never told me to let the law go