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 Mackerel Trolling. 191 " ' Well, I must say that you have saved both ship and cargo, and I'!! report it to the owners,— and stand by it/ said the skipper, " 'Oh yes, that's all very well, but we haven't done with it yet,' said the lad, * we shall have it worse directly,' and he ordered thém to furl every rag but the mizen. "The second squall came still stronger than the first, and it increased so much that the crew were in a great fright. Just as it was blowing at its hardest the lad told them to throw the other cord of logs overboard, which they did ; they threw piece by piece, and took good care not to touch the third cord. When the last piece of log went over the side they heard a deep groaning again, and so the wind went down. " ' We have one bout ieft now, and that will be the worst/ said the lad, and ordered every man to his post, while the ship only wént under bare poles. The last squall was worse than both the preceding ones,—the ship gave a lurch, so they thought it would never right again ; the seas washed over deck and gunwale. But the lad ordered them to throw overboard the last cord of logs, piece by piece, and not two at a time. When the last log went over the side they heard the moaning of one who dies a hard death, and when the wind had gone down the sea was coloured by blood as far as they could see. "When all was over the captain and the mate said they would write to their wives. " ' You may as well leave that alone,' said the lad. ' You haven 't got any wives any more ! ' " ' What nonsense is that, you young whelp ? Have we ro wives ? " said the captain. " * Have you finished them off, perhaps ? ' said the mate. "'Oh dear no, we have all had a hand in that,' answered the boy ; and then he told them what he had heard and seen the Sunday he was on board keeping watch, when the crew had liberty ashore, and the skipper went to see the timber-dealer. " When they came home they heard that their wives had dis appeared the day before the storm, and they had never been seen or heard of since."