d tracts. One who had, as his mate
said, come by a broken head, was slumbering in his berth, scientifically
bandaged and convalescent, and Groggy himself, with a pair of
tortoiseshell glasses on his nose, was deep in a book which he
pronounced to be "one o' the wery best wollums he had ever come across
in the whole course of his life," leaving it to be inferred, perhaps,
that he had come across a very large number of volumes in his day.

While he was thus engaged one of the men whispered in his ear, "A
_coper_ alongside, sir."

The skipper shut the "wery best wollum" at once, and ordered out the
boat.

"Put a cask o' oysters in her," he said.

Usually his men were eager to go with their skipper, but on this night
some of them were so interested in the books they were reading that they
preferred to remain on board. Others went, and, with their skipper, got
themselves "fuddled" on the proceeds of the owner's oysters. If oysters
had not been handy, fish or something else would have been used instead,
for Skipper Fox was not particular--he was still clinging to "the poor
old stranded wreck."

It was dawn when, according to their appropriate phrase, they "tumbled"
over the side of the _coper_ into their boat. As they bade the Dutchman
good night they observed that he was looking "black as thunder" at the
horizon.

"W-wat's wrong, ol' b-boy?" asked Groggy.

The Dutchman pointed to the horizon. "No use for me to shtop here, mit
_dat_ alongside!" he replied.

The fishermen turned their drunken eyes in the direction indicated, and,
after blinking a few seconds, clearly made out the large blue flag, with
its letters MDSF, fluttering in the light breeze that had risen with the
sun.

With curses both loud and deep the Dutchman trimmed his sails, and
slowly but decidedly vanished from the scene. Thus the tide began to
turn on the North Sea!

The light breeze went down as the day advanced, and soon the mission
vessel found herself surrounded by smacks, with an ever-increasing tail
of boats at her stern, and an ever-multiplying congregation on her deck.
It was a busy and a lively scene, for while they were assembling, Fred
Martin took advantage of the opportunity to distribute books and
medicines, and to bind up wounds, etcetera. At the same time the
pleasant meeting of friends, who never met in such numbers anywhere
else--not even in the _copers_--and the hearty good wishes and shaking
of hands, with now and then