he current chose to take it,
outside the skerries, but within the islands. At last it stopped at a
certain spot, as if it were moored fast, and there it grew wondrously
still; there was not a bird in the air or a sign of life in the sea.

All at once up came a big bubble right in front of the jib, and as it
burst he heard a deep heavy sigh.

But Isaac had his own opinion about what he had seen.

"And the parson of Broenoe shall see to the funeral too, or I'll know the
reason why," said he.

From henceforth it was bruited abroad that he had second sight, and saw
many things about him which were hid from other folks.

He could tell exactly where the fish were to be found thick together by
the sea-banks, and where they were not; and whenever they asked him
about such things, he would say--

"If I don't know it, my brother does."

Now one day it chanced that the parson of Broenoe had to go out along the
coast on a pious errand, and Isaac was one of them who had to row him
thither.

Off they went with a rattling good breeze.

The parson got quickly there, and was not very long about his business,
for next day he had to hold divine service in his own parish church.

"The firth seems to me a bit roughish," said he, "and 'tis getting
towards evening; but as we have come hither, I should think we could get
back again also."

They had not got very far on their homeward journey when the rising gale
began to whistle and whine, so that they had to take in four clews[3].

And away they went, with the sea-scud and the snow-flakes flying about
their ears, while the waxing rollers rose big as houses.

The parson of Broenoe had never been out in such weather before. They
sailed right into the rollers, and they sailed out again.

Soon it became black night.

The sea shone like mountain snow-fields, and the showers of snow and
spray rather waxed than waned.

Isaac had just taken in the fifth clew also when one of the planks
amidships gave way, so that the sea foamed in, and the parson of Broenoe
and the crew leaped upon the upper deck, and bawled out that the boat
was going down.

"I don't think she'll founder this voyage," said Isaac; and he remained
sitting where he was at the rudder.

But as the moon peeped forth from behind a hail-shower, they saw that a
strange foremastman was standing in the scuppers, and baling the water
out of the boat as fast as it poured in.

"I didn't know that I had hired that fellow yon