't you?"

The Captain answered in the very words of his crew.

"You bet!" he said fervently, and went away whistling. Captain Perez
slept better that night.

CHAPTER XIV

THE VOYAGE OF AN "ABLE SEAMAN"

Promptly at a quarter to four the next morning Captain Eri rapped on the
parlor door. Josiah, who had been dressed since three, appeared almost
instantly. They walked down to the shore together, and the Captain's
eyes twinkled as he noted the elaborate roll in the boy's walk.

The Mary Ellen was anchored between the beaches, and they rowed off to
her in a dory. It was pitch-dark, and cold and raw. Lanterns showed on
two or three of the other boats near by, and, as Josiah and the Captain
pulled up the eelgrass-covered anchor, a dim shape glided past in the
blackness. It was the You and I, bound out. Ira Sparrow was at the helm,
and he hailed the Mary Ellen, saying something about the weather.

"It 'll be kind of ca'm for a spell," replied Captain Eri, "but I
wouldn't wonder if we had some wind 'fore night. Here you, fo'mast
hand," he added, turning to Josiah, "stand by to git the canvas on her."

The mainsail was soon hoisted, and the catboat moved slowly out of the
bay.

"Gee! it's dark," exclaimed Josiah, "what are you goin' way off here
for? Why don't you go straight out?"

"I gin'rally take the short cut through the narrers," replied the
Captain, "but I thought you mightn't like the breakers on the shoals, so
I'm goin' 'round the p'int flat."

"Huh! I ain't a-scared of breakers. Can't be too rough for me. Wisht
'twould blow to beat the band."

"Maybe 'twill by and by. Pretty toler'ble slick now, though."

It was after sunrise when they reached the ledge where codfish most do
congregate. The land was a mere yellow streak on the horizon. The stiff
easterly blow of the day before had left a smooth, heavy swell that,
tripping over the submerged ledge, alternately tossed the Mary Ellen
high in air and dropped her toward the bottom. It was cold, and the
newly risen December sun did not seem to have much warmth in it. Anchor
over the side, the Captain proposed breakfast.

The "able seaman" did not feel very hungry, but he managed to swallow
a hard-boiled egg and a sandwich, and then, just to show that he had
reached the dignity of manhood, leaned back against the side of the
cockpit, lit a cigarette, and observed cheerfully, "This is hot stuff,
ain't it, Cap?"

Captain Eri wiped the crumbs from his m