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 his pate in perplexity, "She does n't seem to have shifted for a long while, so I guess we 'll just find out."

Ten minutes' run brought them near enough to see what was happening. A large Swedish sailing ship, with poles bared, was riding uneasily at the stern of a tug. Apparently they were making no progress.

"Great mackerel, if that is n't the Dolphin, bitten more off than she can chew!" Grummitt said, scrutinizing the tug carefully. "I 'll hate to butt in here, because Jim Cross is a pal of mine, but I allus told him them hawsers he bought would go back on him when the pinch came."

"Is Jim Cross the skipper of the tug?"

"Yes, and he's part owner, same as I am. He bought three new hawsers this year, thinking he was getting a bargain just because they only cost him half as much as they ought to have done, but I warned him. Now I bet he's wishing he'd paid double," the skipper went on grimly,