-east then, but he couldn't 've held on that
tack long or he'd be somewhere up by Miquelon and not here this
mornin'--the gait he was goin'. Man, but there was smoke coming out
of his scuppers when he went by. 'Why don't y' come aboard whilst
you're about it--come aboard and be sociable,' I hollers. 'Oh, don't
cry, y' ain't hurted,' says whoever's to the wheel of her. Least it
sounded like that, 'Y' ain't hurted,' he says."

"Must have been pretty close, Mel?" said Clancy, never stopping, but
keeping a string of split mackerel rolling into his keeler. Mel and I
were gibbing for Clancy.

"Close? I could've touched his chain-plates like that," and Mel,
getting excited, reached his mittened hand across the keeler and
touched Clancy on the arm. Clancy's knife took a jump and cut a
finger. For a few seconds Clancy laid down the law of a splitting
knife to Mel, but Mel didn't mind.

"That's just about the way I swore at the man to the wheel of the
Withrow. Didn't I, Joe? Yes, sir, I cert'nly swore at him good, but it
no more jarred him than--but when their seine-boat came by, half of
'em smokin', some half-breed among 'em has to sing out, 'Y'ought to
hang up a riding light if your vessel's hove-to,' he says. What do you
think of that, Tommie--'if your vessel's hove-to!'--and if the Johnnie
was going one she was going ten knots an hour."

"That's right, Mel--I heard you to the mast-head," said Clancy. Clancy
heard it about as much as old Mr. Duncan back in Gloucester did, but
he was always ready to help a man out.

"Did you? Well, I hove-to him. I hove the bailer at him, that's what I
did, and he ducked. But he ducked too late, I callate, for 'Bam!' it
caught him--or somebody in the seine-boat with him. He swore some, or
somebody swore, you c'n bet. 'I don't know who y'are,' he hollers,
'but if ever I meet you ashore,' and he was so far away then I
couldn't ketch no more of it. 'Don't know who y'are, but if I ketch
you ashore'--Lord----"

"So, if a lad with a bump on the side of his head waltzes up to you on
Main Street and whangs you, Mel, next time you're ashore in
Gloucester, what'll you do?" asked Clancy.

"I'll say, 'Where's that bailer, you loafer?' but first I'll whang him
back. I had to finish the bailing out with my sou'wester. I sings out
to Andie Howe in the boat here to hand me one of the bailers in the
boat. 'I'm usin' my hat,' I hollers, 'and Joe's using his sou'wester,'
thinkin' that would fetch him all