d with an able vessel,
you say? With that new one of your gran'pa's--would you come clear
with her?"

"Oh, she'd come clear--built to go fresh halibuting next winter, that
one."

"Yes--and seining this spring. But suppose now you were
haddocking--trawling--eight or ten dories, and you just arrived on the
grounds, picked out a good spot, and there you are--you're all baited
up and ready?"

"Winter time?"

"Winter time, yes."

"First I'd single-reef the mains'l. Then I'd hold her up a little--not
too much--me being skipper would be to the wheel myself--and then I'd
give the order, 'Dories to the rail!' and then, when everything was
all right--when I'd be satisfied we wouldn't foul the next vessel's
trawls--I'd call out, 'Over with your wind'ard dory!'"

"Loud and clear you'd holler, because the wind might be high."

"Loud and clear, yes--'Let go your wind'ard dory!'--like that. And
'Set to the west'ard,' or the east'ard, whatever it was--according to
the tide, you know. I'd call that out to the dory as it went sliding
by the quarter--the vessel, of course, 'd be sailing all the time--and
next, 'Wind'ard dory to the rail!' And then, when we'd gone ahead
enough, again, 'Let go your looard dory!' and then, 'Looard dory to
the rail! Let go your wind'ard dory! Let go your looard dory!' and so
till they were all over the side."

"And supposing, they being all out, it came on thick, or snowing, and
some of them went astray, and it was time to go home, having filled
her with eighty or ninety or a hundred thousand of fresh fish, a fair
wind, and every prospect of a good market--what then?"

"Oh, I'd have to wait, of course--cruise around and stand by."

"And suppose you couldn't find them again?"

"Why, after waiting until I was sure they were gone, I'd come home."

"And your flag?"

"Half-mast."

"Half-mast--that's it. I hope you'll never have to fly a half-masted
flag, Johnnie. But suppose you did see them, and they were in shoal
water, say--and the shoals to looard, of course, and it blowing----"

"I'd stand in and get them."

"And it blowing hard--blowing hard, Johnnie?--and shoal--shoal
water?"

"Why"--Johnnie was looking troubled--"why, I'd have to stand in just
the same, wouldn't I?"

"Your own men and you ask me, Johnnie-boy?"

"Why, of course I'd have to stand in and get them."

"And if you got in so far you couldn't get out--you got smothered,
say?"

"Why, then--then we'd be lost--all hands