n of the fleet from their women-folk at home, and this
he had in his cabin, now all distributed and tied into bundles, one
for each schooner, so that they could be easily sorted and thrown
aboard as he met them.

Burns caught the fleet of a Thursday morning, just as they had dropped
anchors after making a night berth, and the dories were out sampling
the ground and the fish. It was just three days after Code had arrived
aboard the _Charming Lass_ again.

As Nat worked his way in and out among the vessels, throwing their
mail aboard attached to pieces of coal, he kept an eye out for the
_Rosan_. One very important piece of business that had brought him
North was a reconciliation with Nellie Tanner, and he meant, while his
men were out in the dories, to accomplish this first.

At last he sighted her near the very front line of the fleet. The
_Charming Lass_ he could not see, for Code had taken a different
direction from the _Rosan_, and was one of the score of sails
scattered around the horizon. But Nat was in no great hurry to get him
on the minute; if the mystery schooner were attended to, then it would
be merely a matter of time until the capture of Code.

He ranged up astern of the _Rosan_ with a cheery yell and let go his
anchor, ordering the dories over the side in the same breath. But his
aspirations received a chilling setback from none other than Bijonah
Tanner himself. The old man had been sleepless for a week, trying to
nose out the _Lass_ for the top haul of the fleet, and here was a
young scapegrace who came and cast anchor within a hundred yards of
his chosen ground.

Nat laughed carelessly at the storm of abuse that rattled over the
stern of the _Rosan_ and rowed over to her in his dory with the
package of mail.

"Forget it, papa," he said, easily insolent, as he climbed over the
rail in the teeth of a broadside. "We're not goin' to foul your rodin'
or steal your fish. I've just come to make a call and tell you the
news from home."

He handed Bijonah a couple of letters and a package containing those
of the men. Two others he kept in his hand.

For a few moments he chatted with the old man, telling him what had
happened in Freekirk Head. Then he asked for Nellie, whom he had not
seen. As he asked she came up out of the cabin, having just finished
breakfast.

She was dressed in white this morning; a white canvas blouse with a
broad blue collar and V-neck held to modest stricture by a flowing
blu