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 away from that schooner,” he began patiently. “I saw it myself. You recall, on that night anything that moved in the water burned like fire. The ship was brilliant, the oars of the dinghy shone. The thing you saw had nothing to do with the schooner.”

“Then w'ot sunk 'er, sor?”

“Aye, an' w'ot come of 'er men, sor?”

“Aye, an w'ot come of th' Vulcan's crew?”

“Could a sea serpent put out a sea anchor?” retorted Leonard.

The men stared doggedly at their chief. “We don't know, sor.”

“You do know that it is impossible!”

“If there ain't no such thing, sor, 'ow do we know w'ot it can do?” questioned Gaskin.

“Then do you want to go back and stay on the dock and starve?” cried Madden at the end of his patience.

There was a silence at the anger in his tone, then Gaskin began very placatingly, “Hi'm not wishin' to chafe ye, sor, but th' dock is so big th' lads 'ave decided the sorpint is afraid o' th' dock.”

At Leonard's impatient gesture he added