The Argosy, August 1914 — page 74: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

64 Jack returned. ‘“ Just as soon as I quit spitting blood [ll hunt Buck up and give him a chance.” “Don’t you worry none about that, Jack,” said Herb Mann. “If it hadn't been for you, likely them Simcoxes_ would have scared th’ school so no- body would have got ‘em. As ‘twas, that one haul ‘ll go pretty well to’rds payin’ us for th’ hull season.” ‘“T haven’t heard how you made it yet, Herb,” Jack replied, “ Tell me about it.” He was lying on a cot in a screened- off corner of the bunk-house assembly- room, talking with his fellows for the first time since he had been brought ashore. His grit had held him up past the hour of need. ‘The instant he had turned the wheel over to another man he had collapsed, and the Barra- try Island doctor, hinting darkly at broken blood-vessels and the like, had been in pretty constant attendance. Jim Tarkis had proved a faithful if rough nurse, and now Jack felt he would soon be himself again. The appreciative words of his companions conduced to improvement. “Well, soon as we left th’ work- boat,’ Herb began, ‘“‘I says to the cap'n, says I: ‘ Them Simcoxes ‘d ruther nobody got fish than to let us get them.’ And he says: ‘I guess that’s so.’ ‘““‘We was’ keeping close together then, the cap’n, Anse, and Charlie in one dory, me and Peter and Jim Tar- ‘kis in t’other. From what I see, ‘twas a big school of mackerel. “All th’ time we was keepin’ our eyes on you and them = Simcoxes. "Twas clear they meant mischief. "Twas as barefaced an attempt at steal- in’ as ever [ saw. They hadn't no shadder of right to get out after them fish. Out with th’ mackerel fleet a feller that did that would wake up some mornin’ to find himself on a mud bottom. “So when I see you takin’ a hand I was glad enough, you bet. I says to Jim Tarkis—” in’ to take our fish. THE ARGOSY. “Never mind that, Herb,” Jack pleaded. -“ Tell me about how you took the fish. I know the rest of it very well.” ‘Oh, all right. Well, when we see there wa'n't going to be no trouble with th’ Simcoxes we just ‘tended to our knittin’ and made pretty good time. ‘They was still breakin’ water. Th’ great trouble with mackerel fish- in’ is that th’ fish’ll get scared before . you kin whip a seine around them, Then it’s good night. ‘““T had th’ seine in my boat. Soon as we got close enough I throws th’ cap’n an end and begins payin’ out. I tell you, boy, that’s excitin’ work. There’s hundreds of dollars’ worth, mebbe thousands, right within arm’s reach, so to speak, and you don’t know whether you're goin’ to take ary one of ’em or not. “We paid out and paid out till I thought th’ old seine wasn’t goin’ to be big enough to.go round them. At last we made th’ circle and th’ dories came together again. ‘Th’ fish wasn’t break- ing water quite so free now, so we had to be quick with th’ pursin’ lines. We hauled away like good ones, you bet. Soon as th’ seine touched them they tried to sink. Seemed like every last one of them fish had been touched at th’ same time, though prob’ly there wa’n’t more’n one or two that felt mesh. : ‘“ But it was too late. We had ’em pursed in by that time. Then we be- gun to look around for you. Bein’ so busy, we hadn’t kept very close watch on what was goin’ on with th’ Sim- coxes except we see they had qitit try- So we didn’t know why it was that soon as Charlie Hinkley jumped aboard th’ work boat and took hold of her, you keeled over. Couldn't figger it out no way. “Tf you hadn’t brought th’ boat over I don’t know what we should ‘a’ done. As ’twas, Jim brought you ashore in one of th’ dories and got th’ doctor. The rest of us had our hands full takin’ care of th’ catch.” COMMICLOOOKS (C@