id Esau.

And now we sat in silence gazing at the moonlit water, with its
wonderful flecks of silvery ripple, then at the misty schooner, and then
across at the lights of the city; while I wondered at the fact that one
could go on sailing so long, and that the distance looked so small, for
a mile at sea seemed to be a mere sham.

"What do yew say now?" said the master an hour later. "Shall we
overhaul her?"

"Yes, we must catch her now," said Gunson, excitedly. "Don't overdo it
when we are so near success."

"Yew let me alone; yew let me be," he grumbled. "I'm going to putt yew
aboard that craft, first, because I think yew all ought to be helped;
and second, because I want to show the schooner's skipper that he arn't
everybody on these shores."

On we went through the silver water, with the path behind us looking
like molten metal, and the wind seeming to hiss by us and rattle in the
boat's sails, we went so fast. Every now and then from where I sat I
could look down and see that the lee bulwark almost dipped under water,
but always when it was within apparently half an inch of the surface the
master eased the boat and it rose a little.

The schooner was going on the opposite tack to ours, so that when at
last we crossed her we seemed so near that one might have hailed; but in
obedience to the master's wish we passed on in silence, so as to let him
enjoy the triumph of over-sailing the bigger vessel, and then hailing
her after the Cornwall fashion of which he had boasted.

"Now," he said, "we're ahead." And almost at that moment there was a
loud crack, the mast went by the thwarts, and the sails lay like the
wings of a wounded bird upon the silvery sea.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

"IT'S THEM."

"Wal," said the master, "reckon that arn't quite such a good stick as I
thout it war."

I sat looking despondently at the wreck, for the accident had happened
just as I felt sure of our overtaking the schooner, which was rapidly
gliding away from us again, when Esau caught hold of my arm.

"I say, arn't going to the bottom, are we?"

"All our trouble for nothing, I'm afraid, my lads," said Gunson.

"What are yew two looking at?" roared the master. "Going to let them
two sails drag down under the boat? Haul 'em in, will yew!"

These words startled the two men into action, and they began to loosen
the ropes and haul in the sails rapidly, prior to getting the broken
mast on board.

"Wal, might ha' been worse