weather, and we ought to do it easily. Besides, it'll give you
fellows a good chance to learn how to handle a power-sloop. We'll take
the trawls with us, and bait 'em on the way back, so as not to lose any
time; and we'll set most of those lobster-traps this afternoon."

They all went over to the fish-house, and Jim swung the door wide open.
Five great hogsheads inside caught Percy's eye.

"What're those for?" he asked.

"Holding fish. Each one'll take care of what two thousand pounds of
round fish'll make after they're dressed and salted."

"What do you mean by round fish?"

"Just as they come out of the water, before they're cleaned."

"What're those half-barrels, full of small rope?"

"Trawl-tubs; and those coils inside are the trawls. Each tub holds about
five hundred fathoms of ground-line, with a thirty-eight-inch ganging,
or short line with a hook on its end, tied every five feet; so there're
between five hundred and six hundred hooks to every tub. One man alone
can bait and handle four tubs of trawl. Two of us are going to fish
together, so we ought to be able to swing six tubs without any trouble."

Percy looked about the house. Other barrels stood there; a net was
draped over the beams; many coils of small rope were hung along the
walls or piled on the floor. His attention was attracted by a large heap
of peculiarly shaped pieces of wood. Each was eighteen inches long, five
inches square at one end, and tapered almost to a point at the other,
near which a hole was bored; they were painted white, encircled by a
single green stripe, and bore the brand "SP."

"Cedar lobster-buoys," said Jim. "SP's my Uncle Tom's brand. Every man
has a different kind, so his floats won't get mixed with anybody else's.
Now let's take these tubs of trawl aboard the sloop."

At six the _Barracouta_, carrying the five boys and towing the dory,
started from Sprowl's Cove for Matinicus. It was so calm that the sails
were of little assistance, and they had to depend almost entirely on the
engine. Rounding Brimstone Point, they headed slightly north of west for
Seal Island, about six miles away.

Everybody took his turn at steering, Jim acting as instructor.

"Any one of you may be called on to handle this boat alone some time in
the next three months, and you can't begin learning how any too early."

Percy's experience with automobiles stood him in good stead. He was
naturally interested in machinery, and soon mastered the