Left on the Labrador | Page 9

in a voice trembling with apprehension and fear.
"Will you look for him, Captain? You'll turn the ship back and look for
him! You must! You must at once! We must find him!"
"Where would we look?" asked Captain Barcus.
"At the harbours where we stopped! At Pinch-In Tickle, or whatever
you call it! Everywhere! Everywhere!" plead Mr. Wise.
"'Twould be a waste of time and fuel, and a fool's chase," said Captain
Barcus quietly. "There was no way for the lad to go ashore but by the
ship's boat, and 'tis plain he didn't go ashore in the boat at any port we
stops at to-day. Some one would have seen him if he had, and every
man of the crew says he didn't."
"Then he's on the ship somewhere!" shouted Mr. Wise excitedly,
springing to his feet. "He's hiding! He's hiding somewhere on the ship!"
"He's not on the ship," said Captain Barcus gravely. "She've been
searched from masthead to hold, and he's not on the ship. There's no
doubting the poor lad has fallen overboard."
"Do you mean he's been--lost--at--sea?" and the terrified Wise sank
limply into a seat.
"Aye," admitted Captain Barcus, "lost at sea."
"Then turn back! Turn back and look for him!" demanded Mr. Wise,

again on his feet in a frenzy of excitement. "Why don't you turn back
and look for him?"
"Keep your senses, man," admonished Captain Barcus. "As I said
before, 'twould be a fool's job to look for him in the sea. No man knows
where or when he went overboard. 'Tis likely 'twere hours ago."
Mr. Wise slouched into a seat, and with his elbows upon his knees held
his head in his hands for a full minute before he spoke.
"What can I tell his father? What can I tell him? He'll discharge me!
He'll think I didn't look after the boy!" and Mr. Wise's dejection was
complete. "What can I tell him!"
"Tell him the truth. He'll discharge you likely. I would," said the
Captain in blunt disgust.
"You can fix it up! You can tell him it happened through no fault of
mine! Tell him something that will clear me of any charge of
neglecting the boy!" Mr. Wise raised his head and looked wistfully and
pleadingly at the Captain.
"You seem to be thinking more of your job than of the poor lad that's
lost," and Captain Barcus, who had risen to his feet, looked down in
contempt upon the cringing man. "My log will say he was last seen
leaning over the starb'rd rail. That he was not at dinner nor at tea, and
that you didn't miss him till after tea and long after dark, though 'tis
likely he was lost overboard before dinner. And I'll put in the testimony
of the last to talk with him, the mate, and the seaman, and what he said
to Barney MacFarland. I'm going now to write my log while 'tis all
fresh in my mind."
And leaving Mr. Wise, Captain Barcus went to his room to write in his
log a true report of what apparently had happened, and the account that
was finally to be given Mr. Bruce Norton upon the arrival of the
steamer in St. John's.

V
WRECKED
There was much to be done in Pinch-In Tickle that everything in and
about Skipper Zeb's cabin, which they were to leave the following
morning, should be snug and tight and tidy for the winter. There were
boats to be hauled out of the water and covered, that they might be
protected from the ice and snow, fishing gear and boat equipment to
stow, and much cleaning to be done about the fish stage and cabin.
Then there was Skipper Zeb's big trap boat to make ready for the
voyage up the bay. A mast step had to be repaired, sails mended, and
no end of tinkering before it met with Skipper Zeb's approval.
"I never says a thing's good enough unless 'tis right," declared Skipper
Zeb. "I likes to have my boats, and fishin' gear and dog trappin's ship
shape before I starts to use un. When I stops usin' they I leaves un as
right as I can so they'll be ready to use when I needs un again."
For a little while Charley, the picture of gloom, watched Skipper Zeb
and Toby stowing gear. Presently Skipper Zeb, who had been
observing Charley out of the corner of his eye, suggested:
"Come on, lad, and lend a hand. Toby and I needs help to haul the boats
up. Work's a wonderful fine medicin' for folks that's feelin' homesick.
Lend Toby and me a hand, and you'll be forgettin' all about this fix
you're in. I were thinkin' we'd taken all the kinks out o'