"The helmsman's act was almost routine," Hartley continued. "On a craft like this every man instinctively knows what should be done in any moment of escapable peril." Dave now withdrew the elbow which, up to now, he had leaned against the rail. He knew that he had been within a hair's breadth of instant death, but there was nothing in his bearing to betray the fact. Hartley quickly gave the order to put about. "Another try for that slippery customer, eh?" queried Ormsby. "I'd feel like a murderer, if I knowingly left that thing in the sea, to destroy some fine craft," declared Mr. Hartley, gravely. "Once we've located a mine we never leave it. We'll make the 'catch' again, but we'll inspect our tackle before we try to take it aboard. I think you gentlemen had better step back well out of the way." "Of course we will, sir, if we are really in the way," Darrin smiled. "You're not in our way," Hartley promptly denied. "But you will hardly care, should the tackle still be defective, to be loitering at the point of danger." "I want to see you repair the tackle," Dave replied. "Then I want to see you make the grapple again and bring the mine safely on board." "All right, gentlemen, if you love danger well enough to take the risk twice when you're only spectators," Hartley answered, with a shrug of his shoulders. Again the mine was caught, grappled, and this time successfully hoisted on board. All of this Darrin and his junior officer noted carefully, even giving a hand at the work. Through the day at least one of the mine-sweepers continued over this line of shoal, trying constantly with the sweeps. Farther out to sea Dalzell and the "Reed" accompanied others of the craft. By nightfall it was reported that more than sixty mines had been picked up. "The mine-layers must be actively at work in these waters," said Dave. "Undoubtedly they plant the mines at night, then toward daylight move in toward the shoal and hide there during the day. We'll try that shoal again after daylight to-morrow morning--weather permitting." This last Darrin said because there were now lurking indications of a coming storm. Dave returned to his own craft in time. By nine o'clock that night, or an hour after the new watch had gone on, the wind was howling through the rigging in a way that made conversation difficult on the bridge. "Mr. Fernald, at the rate the weather is thickening I shall be on the bridge all night. I shall be glad, therefore, if after your last rounds of the ship, and after you have turned in your report, you will seek your berth and get all the sleep you can until you're called." "Very good, sir," agreed the executive officer. He would have liked to stand watch in Darrin's place, but he knew that, with a gale coming, Darrin would not consent.