d Captain Candage. "We've got a
crew that ain't afraid of a little weather."

"If that's the case, there may be something for you off-coast about now
that's better than the fishing game."

"What's that?" asked the old skipper.

"Wrecking. Seen the morning papers?"

"We've had something to do besides fool with papers."

"That new Bee line steamer, _Conomo_, has been piled up on Razee Reef."

"One time--this last time--she hugged too close!" snapped the young man.
The others bent an inquiring gaze on him. But he did not explain. His
thoughts were busy with the events of that day when the Bee line steamer
started his troubles with Marston.

"Paper says she's considered a total loss," went on the manager. "If
that's so, and the underwriters give her up, there ought to be some fine
picking for men with grit. The board of survey went out to her on a
tug this morning." He gave them their check, and they went aboard their
schooner.

The affair of the _Conomo_ was not mentioned between them until they
were at sea on their way to the eastward again. The piece of news did
not interest Mayo at first, except as a marine disaster that had no
bearing on his own affairs.

Captain Candage was stumping the quarter-deck, puffing at his short,
black pipe. "I don'no' as you feel anyways as I do about it, Captain
Mayo, but it ain't going to be no great outset to us if we make a leg
out to Razee and see what's going on there," he suggested.

"I have no objections," returned Mayo. "But the way things are managed
nowadays in case of wrecks, I don't see much prospect of our getting in
on the thing in any way."

"Mebbe not; but in case they're going to abandon her there'll be some
grabbing, and we might as well grab with the rest of 'em."

"If they can't get her off some junk concern will gamble on her. But
we'll make an excursion of it to see the sights, sir. We can afford a
little trip after what we pulled down to-day."

There was no hope of reaching the wreck before nightfall, so they jogged
comfortably in the light westerly that had succeeded the gale.

Captain Candage took the first watch after the second dog-watch, and
at two bells, or nine o'clock, in the evening, Mayo awoke and heard him
give orders to "pinch her." He heard the sails flap, and knew that the
men were shortening in readiness to lay to. He slipped on his outer
clothing and went on deck.

"We're here," stated the old skipper, "and it looks like some other
m