ckerel bit well, but Benjamin kept a close watch on the sky.
Suddenly he saw a dark streak advancing over the water from the
northwest. He wheeled around.

"Boys, the squall's coming! Up with the anchor--quick!"

"Dere's plenty tam," grumbled Mosey Louis, who hated to leave the
fish. "None of de oder boats is goin' in yit."

The squall struck the boat as he spoke. She lurched and staggered. The
water was tossing choppily. There was a sudden commotion all through
the fleet and sails went rapidly up. Mosey Louis turned pale and
scrambled about without delay. Benjamin was halfway to the shore
before the sail went up in the Murray boat.

"Don' know what dey're tinkin' of," growled Mosey Louis. "Dey'll be
drown fust ting!"

Benjamin looked back anxiously. Every boat was making for the shore.
The gale was steadily increasing. He had his doubts about making a
landing himself, and Braithwaite would be twenty minutes later.

"But it isn't my lookout," he muttered.

Benjamin had landed and was hauling up his boat when Mr. Murray came
running down the road.

"Frank?" he gasped. "Him and Leon went out, the foolish boys! They
neither of them know anything about a time like this."

"I guess they'll be all right," said Benjamin reassuringly. "They were
late starting. They may find it rather hard to land."

The other boats had all got in with more or less difficulty. The
Murray boat alone was out. Men came scurrying along the shore in
frightened groups of two and three.

The boat came swiftly in before the wind. Mr. Murray was half beside
himself.

"It'll be all right, sir," said one of the men. "If they can't land
here, they can beach her on the sandshore."

"If they only knew enough to do that," wailed the old man. "But they
don't--they'll come right on to the rocks."

"Why don't they lower their sail?" said another. "They will upset if
they don't."

"They're lowering it now," said Benjamin.

The boat was now about 300 yards from the shore. The sail did not go
all the way down--it seemed to be stuck.

"Good God, what's wrong?" exclaimed Mr. Murray.

As he spoke, the boat capsized. A yell of horror rose I from the
beach. Mr. Murray sprang toward Benjamin's boat, but one of the men
held him back.

"You can't do it, sir. I don't know that anybody can."

Braithwaite and Leon were clinging to the boat. Benjamin Selby,
standing in the background, his lips set, his hands clenched, was
fighting the hardest battle o