"What"s that?" asked Bart. "What did you say about grinding out fog?"
"O, nothin, ony thar"s an island down the bay, you know, called Grand Manan, an seafarin men say that they"ve got a fog mill down thar, whar they grind out all the fog for the Bay of Fundy. I can"t say as ever I"ve seen that thar mill, but I"ve allus found the fog so mighty thick down thar that I think thar"s a good deal in the story."
"I suppose we"ll lose this tide," said Phil.
"Yes, I"m afeard so," said the captain, looking around over the water.
"This here wind ain"t much, any way; you never can reckon on winds in this bay. I don"t care much about them. I"d a most just as soon go about the bay without sails as with them. What I brag on is the tides, an a jodgmatical use of the anchor."
"You"re not in earnest?"
"Course I am."
"Could you get to St. John from Grand Pre without sails?"
"Course I could."
"I don"t see how you could manage to do it."
"Do it? Easy enough," said the captain. "You see I"d leave with the ebb tide, and get out into the bay. Then I"d anchor an wait till the next ebb, an so on. Bless your hearts, I"ve often done it."
"But you couldn"t get across the bay by drifting."
"Course I could. I"d work my way by short drifts over as far as this, an then I"d gradually move along till I kine o" canted over to the New Brunswick sh.o.r.e. It takes time to do it, course it does; but what I mean to say is this--it CAN be done."
"Well, I wouldn"t like to be on board while you were trying to do it."
"Mebbe not. I ain"t invitin you to do it, either. All I was sayin is, it CAN be done. Sails air very good in their way, course they air, an who"s objectin to "em? I"m only sayin that in this here bay thar"s things that"s more important than sails, by a long chalk--such as tides, an anchors in particular. Give me them thar, an I don"t care a hooter what wind thar is."
Lying thus at anchor, under the hot sun, was soon found to be rather dull, and the boys sought in vain for some way of pa.s.sing the time.
Different amus.e.m.e.nts were invented for the occasion. The first amus.e.m.e.nt consisted in paper boats, with which they ran races, and the drift of these frail vessels over the water afforded some excitement.
Then they made wooden boats with huge paper sails. In this last Bart showed a superiority to the others; for, by means of a piece of iron hoop, which he inserted as a keel, he produced a boat which was able to carry an immense press of sail, and in the faint and scarce perceptible breeze, easily distanced the others. This accomplishment Bart owed to his training in a seaport town.
At length one of them proposed that they should try to catch fish.
Captain Corbet, in answer to their eager inquiries, informed them that there were fish everywhere about the bay; on learning which they became eager to try their skill. Some herring were on board, forming part of the stores, and these were taken for bait. Among the miscellaneous contents of the cabin a few hooks were found, which were somewhat rusty, it is true, yet still good enough for the purpose before them.
Lines, of course, were easily procured, and soon a half dozen baited hooks were down in the water, while a half dozen boys, eager with suspense, watched the surface of the water.
For a half hour they held their lines suspended without any result; but at the end of that time, a cry from Phil roused them, and on looking round they saw him clinging with all his might to his line, which was tugged at tightly by something in the water. Bruce ran to help him, and soon their united efforts succeeded in landing on the deck of the vessel a codfish of very respectable size. The sight of this was greeted with cheers by the others, and served to stimulate them to their work.
After this others were caught, and before half an hour more some twenty codfish, of various sizes, lay about the deck, as trophies of their piscatory skill. They were now more excited than ever, and all had their hooks in the water, and were waiting eagerly for a bite, when an exclamation from Captain Corbet roused them.
On turning their heads, and looking in the direction where he was pointing, they saw a steamboat approaching them. It was coming from the head of the bay on the New Brunswick side, and had hitherto been concealed by the projecting cape.
"What"s that?" said Bart. "Is it the St. John steamer?"
"No, SIR," said the captain. "She"s a man-o"-war steamer--the revenoo cutter, I do believe."
"How do you know?"
"Why, by her shape."
"She seems to be coming this way."
"Yes, bound to Minas Bay, I s"pose. Wal, wal, wal! strange too,--how singoolarly calm an onterrified I feel in"ardly. Why, boys, I"ve seen the time when the sight of a approachin revenoo vessel would make me shiver an shake from stem to starn. But now how changed! Such, my friends, is the mootability of human life!"
The boys looked at the steamer for a few moments, but at length went back to their fishing. The approaching steamer had nothing in it to excite curiosity: such an object was too familiar to withdraw their thoughts from the excitement of their lines and hooks, and the hope which each had of surpa.s.sing the other in the number of catches animated them to new trials. So they soon forgot all about the approaching steamer.
But Captain Corbet had nothing else to do, and so, whether it was on account of his lack of employment, or because of the sake of old a.s.sociations, he kept his eyes fixed on the steamer. Time pa.s.sed on, and in the s.p.a.ce of another half hour she had drawn very near to the Antelope.
Suddenly Captain Corbet slapped his hand against his thigh.
"Declar, if they ain"t a goin to overhaul us!" he cried.
At this the boys all turned again to look at the steamer.
"Declar, if that fellow in the gold hat ain"t a squintin at us through his spy-gla.s.s!" cried the captain.
As the boys looked, they saw that the Antelope had become an object of singular attention and interest to those on board of the steamer. Men were on the forecastle, others on the main deck, the officers were on the quarter-deck, and all were earnestly scrutinizing the Antelope.
One of them was looking at her through his gla.s.s. The Antelope, as she lay at anchor, was now turned with her stern towards the steamer, and her sails flapping idly against the masts. In a few moments the paddles of the steamer stopped, and at the same instant a gun was fired.
"Highly honored, kind sir," said Captain Corbet, with a grin.
"What"s the matter?" asked Bart.
"Matter? Why that thar steamer feels kine o" interested in us, an that thar gun means, HEAVE TO."
"Are you going to heave to?"
"Nary heave."
"Why not?"
"Can"t come it no how; cos why, I"m hove to, with the anchor hard and fast, ony they can"t see that we"re anch.o.r.ed."
Suddenly a cry came over the water from a man on the quarter-deck.
"Ship aho-o-o-o-o-oy!"
"Hel-lo-o-o-o-o!"
Such was the informal reply of Captain Corbet.
"Heave to-o-o-o, till I send a boat aboard."
"Hoo-r-a-a-a-a-ay!"
Such was again Captain Corbet"s cheerful and informal answer.
"Wal! wal wal!" he exclaimed, "it does beat my grandmother--they"re goin to send a boat aboard."