Pete, who baited them and threw them
over the port gunnel. Thus they would work their way along the whole
of the line.

Many of the hooks that came to Code's hands still had the bait with
which they were set.

"Must be in the bait," he told Ellinwood. "The fish wouldn't touch it.
This is no catch for five shots of trawl."

But Pete could not cast any light on the subject.

It was certainly true that the catch from the trawl-line was small
enough to be remarkable, but the men were helpless to explain the
reason.

For two hours they worked along the great line.

"There's a bare chance that the message from the unknown schooner
might be a fake, although I can't imagine why," said Code as they were
returning. "But if it is not, and the Canadian gunboat comes after me,
she'll find me here, willing to go back to St. Andrew's and answer all
charges. No escape and no dodging this time! And let me tell you
something, Pete. If nothing comes out of this except ugly rumor that I
have to suffer for, I'm going to quit minding my own business; and
I'll dig up something that will drive Nat Burns out of Freekirk Head
forever.

"A man of his character and nature has certainly got something he
doesn't want known, and I shall bring it to light and make it so
public that he'll wish he had never heard the name Schofield. By
Heaven, I've reached the end of my patience!"

If there was anything Pete Ellinwood loved it was a fight, and at this
declaration of war he roared encouragement.

"You'll do, skipper--you'll do! Get after him! Climb his frame! Put
him out of business. An' let me help you. That's all I want."

"Everything in good time, Pete," grinned Code. "First we've got to
find out how much of this is in the wind and how much is not."

Arrived at the schooner, they pitched their fish into the pen for the
first watch to dress and rolled aft for the night. Code took off his
coat and drew forth the packet that Elsa had given him, looked at it
for a moment, and threw it upon the table.

"Why in time did she send me that?" he asked himself, his voice very
near disgust. "It must have looked mighty strange to Nell for me to be
getting money from Elsa Mallaby."

He stopped short in the midst of pulling off one boot. The idea had
never struck him forcibly before. Now it seemed evident that Nellie's
reserve might have been due to the letter.

"What a fool I was not to tell her all about it!" he cried. With one
boot off he reach