Before the sun came up we were beginning to make out the rest of the fleet. One after another they were coming into view, their long hulls and high spars reaching across the wind. Between the gray sky and the slaty sea their white sails looked whiter than chalk. We had to name the different vessels then. "There's Tom O'Donnell--and Wesley Marrs--and Sam Hollis--and--" sung out Andie Howe. "Sam Hollis--where's Sam Hollis?" broke in Mel Adams. "Away to the east'ard, ain't it, Andie?--the fellow with jibs down?" spoke up Billie Hurd, who was a bit proud that he too could pick her out at such a distance. "So it is, ain't it?" said Mel, and he began to tell our troubles in the dory. "'Twas him near ran over us last night--remember, Joe? Leastways, it looked like Hollis's new one's quarter goin' by. He was pointin' 'bout no'the-east then, but he couldn't 've held on that tack long or he'd be somewhere up by Miquelon and not here this mornin'--the gait he was goin'. Man, but there was smoke coming out of his scuppers when he went by. 'Why don't y' come aboard whilst you're about it--come aboard and be sociable,' I hollers. 'Oh, don't cry, y' ain't hurted,' says whoever's to the wheel of her. Least it sounded like that, 'Y' ain't hurted,' he says." "Must have been pretty close, Mel?" said Clancy, never stopping, but keeping a string of split mackerel rolling into his keeler. Mel and I were gibbing for Clancy. "Close? I could've touched his chain-plates like that," and Mel, getting excited, reached his mittened hand across the keeler and touched Clancy on the arm. Clancy's knife took a jump and cut a finger. For a few seconds Clancy laid down the law of a splitting knife to Mel, but Mel didn't mind. "That's just about the way I swore at the man to the wheel of the Withrow. Didn't I, Joe? Yes, sir, I cert'nly swore at him good, but it no more jarred him than--but when their seine-boat came by, half of 'em smokin', some half-breed among 'em has to sing out, 'Y'ought to hang up a riding light if your vessel's hove-to,' he says. What do you think of that, Tommie--'if your vessel's hove-to!'--and if the Johnnie was going one she was going ten knots an hour." "That's right, Mel--I heard you to the mast-head," said Clancy. Clancy heard it about as much as old Mr. Duncan back in Gloucester did, but he was always ready to help a man out. "Did you? Well, I hove-to him. I hove the bailer at him, that's what I did, and he ducked. But he ducked too late, I callate, for 'Bam!' it caught him--or somebody in the seine-boat with him. He swore some, or somebody swore, you c'n bet. 'I don't know who y'are,' he hollers, 'but if ever I meet you ashore,' and he was so far away then I couldn't ketch no more of it. 'Don't know who y'are, but if I ketch you ashore'--Lord----" "So, if a lad with a bump on the side of his head waltzes up to you on Main Street and whangs you, Mel, next time you're ashore in Gloucester, what'll you do?" asked Clancy.