some parts it's mud and in other parts it's gray sand and in others
it's black sand and in others yet it's yellow sand, and so on. In the
deep oceans it's different yet, but no lead will reach it. And every
good sailor man, such as Cap'n Solomon is, should know the bottom he'll
find on the course he sails. And when I heave this lead, it tells him
how much water he's got under him and the kind of bottom, for the lead
brings up a little of the mud or the sand that sticks to the grease.
That's how it is."

Little Jacob thought that he understood. "And will you heave the lead
now?" he asked.

"I heave the lead when I'm ordered to," said the old man. "But I'm
thinking the cap'n won't want it hove till after dark. There's no
lights, hereabouts, you see. Lighthouses," he added, seeing that little
Jacob didn't know what he meant.

"Oh," said little Jacob. And he went off to find Captain Solomon and to
ask him if he might stay up that night, until they hove the lead.
Heaving the lead is called sounding. And Captain Solomon laughed and
said that he guessed so.

So little Jacob didn't go to bed so early as he generally did, but he
stayed up to see them heave the lead. And, about nine o'clock, Captain
Solomon called little Jacob and little Sol and told them that they had
better be ready, for he was just going to begin taking soundings. So the
two boys went to look for the sailor with the lead line.

They found him standing by the rail just where the ship was widest, and
by his side was a lantern, lighted. The mate had another lantern, and
the light from those two lanterns was the only light that they could
see. And, just as the boys came up, the sailor began to swing the lead
to and fro.

[Illustration]

He swung it farther and farther, each time, like a pendulum to a clock.
And, when it was swinging pretty far, he let the line go, so that the
heavy lead went ahead of the ship and fell into the water. As soon as he
heard it strike the water, the sailor grabbed for the line quickly, and
he caught it, but he let it slip through his hand. And he felt the lead
strike the bottom. By the time the lead had struck the bottom, the ship
had almost caught up to the place where it had gone into the water, so
that the line was straight up and down.

The sailor began to pull it in, feeling, with his fingers, for the wet
part. When he had come to that, he held it in the light of the lantern
for a moment.

"Ten fathom," he called. The