came inboard with their shower of fish.

"Yes," said a youth, "I f'und one of 'em an' he told me the _Hawk's_
luck was Jonahed this trip."

"Where's the packet lyin'?"

"About twelve mile sou'east near the edge of the Bank."

Nat went to the wheel himself.

"Up jib an' fores'l," he sung out, "and sway 'em flat! Mains'l and
tops'ls after that! Raymond, overhaul the balloon, stays'l, and
trys'l! Mebbe we'll drive her a little afore we're through."

Burns found the _Night Hawk_ in a patch of sea by herself, more or
less deserted by the other schooners because of the Jonah report that
had gone abroad concerning her. Her dories were just coming in from
the day's work partially loaded with fish.

"Hello!" bawled Nat. "Is Billy Stetson aboard?" Billy was the
skipper.

"Yas; d'ye want to see him?"

"Yes, send him along over. It's mighty important, but I ain't goin'
aboard no Jonah boat. Tell him he'll be glad he came."

Presently Stetson came and the two retired into the cabin of the
_Nettie B._

CHAPTER XXVIII

THE RACE

It was dawn of a heavy, dark day. There was a mighty sea rolling and a
forty-mile wind off the Cape shore that promised a three-day ruction.
The _Charming Lass_ at her anchor reared and plunged like a nervous
horse.

Weighty with fish, she struggled heroically up the great walls of
water, only to plump her sharp bows into the hollow with a force that
half buried her. Between times she wriggled and capered like a dancing
elephant and jerked at her cable until it seemed as though she would
take her windlass out.

In the midst of all this Code Schofield struggled aft and began
hauling forth the mains'l that at the first edge of the Bank had been
relegated in favor of the triangular riding sail.

Pete Ellinwood saw him, and in a great voice bawled down the hatchway
to the fo'c's'le.

"Salt's wet, boys; the skipper's haulin' out the mains'l!" At which
there broke forth the most extravagant sounds of jubilation and all
hands tumbled up to help bend it on.

The crew of the _Lass_ did not know it, but Bijonah Tanner and the
_Rosan_ had actually been gone twelve hours, having stolen away from
the fleet before dressing down the night before when darkness had
fallen. And so successfully had Jed Martin stolen Bijonah's thunder
that he had left but three hours later--when the fish had been
dressed.

Schofield was honest with himself, and he waited until morning to see
if the great stacks