Pagina 184 de 416

The Charming Lass greeted him with open arms. Pete Ellinwood

swung him up from the transferring dory with a great bellow of

delight, and he was passed along the line until, battered,

joyous, and radiant, he arrived exhausted by the wheel, where he

sat down.

When they all had drunk to the reunion from a rare old bottle,

heavily cobwebbed, Code told his story. Then, while the men

dressed down, he walked about, looking things over and counting

the crew on his fingers.

"Pete!" he called suddenly, and the mate left the fish-pen.

"Where's Arry Duncan?"

"Wal, skipper, I didn't want to tell you fer fear you had enough

on yer mind already, but Arry never come back the same day you

was lost."

"My God! Another one! I wondered how many would get caught that

day!"

"An' that ain't all. He had your motor-dory with him--the one you

caught us with out of Castalia."

"How did he have that? I gave orders the motor-dories weren't to

be used."