The Deemster

For an hour afterward there was still light enough to see the coast-line curved into covelets and promontories, and to look for miles over the hills with their moles of gorse

ed again, and glistened with stars, and when old Billy Quilleash brought his boat head to the wind in six fathoms of water outside Port Erin, the moon had

nd the herrings on this ground at

n years," sai

why tr

re dipping and sailing in the moonlight. "See the gull there?"

the bow, rapping with a stick at

shouted Bil

vy, "the mar-

s of phosphorescent light in the water we

aid Quilleash, and preparations were mad

, look after the corks. Davy-where's tha

hatchway and the top of the bulwark. Teare and Crennel shot the gear, and as the seizi

ext, and a solid wall of meshes nine feet deep had been swept away along th

was so made as to lower backward-was dropped, and only the drift-

ight there," s

yle popped his head

lad's never ready. G

the mitch board. Then vessel and nets drifted together, and Da

Large white patches came moving out of the surrounding pavement of deep black, lightened only by the image of a star where the vanishing ripples left the dark sea smooth. Once or twice countless faint

d the skipper to try the "look-on" net. The warp was hauled in until the first net was reached. It

uilleash; "they see the nets, an

. Then hour after hour wore on, and not a fish came to the look-on net. Toward one o'clock in the morning, the moon broke out again. "There'll be a heavy strike now,"

houted Quilleash

disconnected the nets from the warps, and Crennel and Corlett pulled the nets over the gunwale. They came up silver-white in the

f the fleet were signaled, by a blue light run up the drift-mizzen, that the "Ben-my-Chree" had struck a scale of fish. In a few minut

he lanterns burning on the fleet of drifting boats gave out an eerie glow across the waters that lay black and flat around. The gray light

and instantly the admiral's flag was run up to the masthead, and at this sign the men dropped on one knee, with t

is feet, and all was work, bustle, shout

lad," bawled Quilleash; "get out of the way, o

," with the herring fleet behind her,

for the first night

and Ned Teare sprinkled salt on t

with a huge saucepan, which he filled with the fish. As he did so the

who had been taking note of the lad during the night, now seated himself on a coil of rope near where Davy lay. The "cheep, cheep" was the only sound in the air excep

Och, 'deed now, they've got thei

ken the lad's mea

t say-who've got their gills 'tangled. And when you haul the net up, away they go at a slant in millions and millio

eem cruel,

; he was reasoning

h them, sarten sure; but then the herrings themselves catch the sand-eels, a

best to loo

onderful strange, but I suppose it's all nat

don't eat each other, I h

though? Lave us

d to look

rigs the rest; and the next biggest chap allis rigs a littler one, you know, a

but the lad's poor, simple face looked sadl

it must be al

s simple, earnest, big little heart. "So you think it all

does make a fellow fit to cry a bit,

d cap and fumbled it and gave his

brought him up. Davy had always sailed as boy with Uncle Billy, he was sailing as boy then, and that was to the end that Uncle Billy might draw his share, but the young master (Mastha Dan) had spoken up for him, so he had, and he knew middlin' well wha

and his dubious triumphs all looked glorious in Davy's eyes. Davy had watched Dan, and listened to him, and though Dan might know nothing of his silen

d Uncle Billy's uncommon proud of the young master, and

drinking, and he forthwith elbowed his way to Dan's side and lifted a brandy bottle from the stove-top into the locker, under pretense of finding a place for his hat. Then all hands sat down to the table. There was a huge dish of potatoes boiled in their jac

e Meailley at the 'Th

morning at the "Three Legs of Man," to ce

come, Ew

parson sho

an's eyes, and made twenty attempts to keep the conversation within ordinary bounds of seriousness. But Dan was not to be restrained, and breaking away into the homes

would ye, now?" said Ned, with a

aid Dan, with anothe

o' yander is tacki

id Dan, dropping his her

olume, and said, "There,

snuffin' abaft of them astoni

aid Dan, turning up afres

is potato more carefully, and took both ha

the spooney line," said Billy Quilleash; "h

to Davy's relief, "it isn't raisonable bu

nter rather suddenly. "What, and not a farthing a

own like a main-tack. One of these fine mornings Davy

, but it was not hard to see t

wan. The young parson's face had grown su

ound Ewan to prod Davy in the ribs-"look at h

out of Davy's eyes. He could have

trained quietness, "stop it;

, leaving his unfinished breakfast

an's manner, Dan got up too and followed Davy out, put an arm round the lad's waist, and tried to draw him

s after saying?"

nly cussed a b

tter show a leg if he do

ble, and his eyes flashed

nse, tremulous voice, "there's not a man am

e moment old and ugly, leaped to his feet in a tempest of wrath, overturned his stool, and rushed at Ewan with e

ound in confusion. "The parzon! the

countenance, white and convulsed

men had found time to breathe, Davy had leaped back from the

fuse of iron chain. Davy, still moaning piteously, "Oh, Mastha Dan, God A'mighty, Mastha Dan," took a white handkerchi

y Davy's shoulder, and clambered weakly to the deck. There he stumbled forward, sat down on

ling waters far and near. A fresh breeze blew from the land, and the boats of the fleet aro

n many a slender shaft above the chimneys of the little town of Peel. But Ewan saw noth

empty. When he first saw Ewan lie where he fell, all the fire of his evil passion seemed to die away, and for the instant his heart seemed to choke him, and he was prompted to drop down and lift Ewan to his feet; but at that moment his stu

y think they may ride a man down

ng cowards,' if you pla

wan? What was he doing? What was he looking like? Dan would rather have died than humbled himself to ask; but would none of these grinning boobies tell him? When Teare, the mate, came down from the deck and said that sarten sure the young parzon was afther sayin' his pray

ard, and saw Ewan sitting on the cable in the bow with his eyes shut and his pallid face sunk deep in his breast. Then a strange, wild light shot into Dan's eyes, and he reeled aft and plucked th

sh, "there's not water enough for the l

d his voice rang among the

, and then another wild peal of his mad laug

her; and with eyes of fear they stood stock-still on the deck an

en-my-Chree" had shot like an arrow through the

y able to bear himself erect, and stumbled under the h

, d'ye hear? Wh

nding by the

ye stand prating there? I'l

tepped toward him, looked him hard in the face, seem

gh, and said, "I'm right up and down lik

word or a look more, he walked away, the white handkerchief, clotted

buy the fish. Teare, the mate, and Crennel, the cook, counted

eeping up his brave outside, while the madness was growing every moment fiercer within. As h