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Harvey understood from the Eldridge chart that the Old Virgin and a nest of curiously named shoals were the turning-point of the cruise, and that with good luck they would wet the balance of their salt there. He learned later that Disko was entirely equal to that and any other business and could even help others.
Disko Troop was smoking by the roof of the cabin one eye on the craft around, and the other on the little fly at the main-mast-head. "When Dad kerflummoxes that way," said Dan in a whisper, "he's doin' some high-line thinkin' fer all hands. I'll lay my wage an' share we'll make berth soon. Dad he knows the cod, an' the Fleet they know Dad knows.
With Disko, Harvey took no liberties; not even when the old man dropped direct orders, and treated him, like the rest of the crew, to "Don't you want to do so and so?" and "Guess you'd better," and so forth. There was something about the clean-shaven lips and the puckered corners of the eyes that was mightily sobering to young blood.
"Let the two Jeraulds lead 'em," said Disko. "We're baound to lay among 'em for a spell on the Eastern Shoals; though ef luck holds, we won't hev to lay long. Where we are naow, Harve, ain't considered noways good graound." "Shouldn't mind striking some poor ground for a change, then." "All the graound I want to see don't want to strike her is Eastern Point," said Dan.
The snails were red-tanned. "Frenchmen!" shouted Dan. "No, 'tain't, neither. Da-ad!" "That's no French," said Disko. "Salters, your blame luck holds tighter'n a screw in a keg-head." "I've eyes. It's Uncle Abishai." "You can't nowise tell fer sure." "The head-king of all Jonahs," groaned Tom Platt. "Oh, Salters, Salters, why wasn't you abed an' asleep?"
"No, I only capt took hold of the 'Blue M. freighters Morgan and McQuade's old line this summer." Disko collapsed where he sat, beside the stove. "Great Caesar Almighty! I mistrust I've been fooled from one end to the other. Why, Phil Airheart he went from this very town six year back no, seven an' he's mate on the San Jose now twenty-six days was her time out.
"This knife's gum-blunt, Dan." "Ef stickin' out cable don't wake ye, guess you'd better hire a boy o' your own," said Dan, muddling about in the dusk over the tubs full of trawl-line lashed to windward of the house. "Oh, Harve, don't ye want to slip down an' git 's bait?" "Bait ez we are," said Disko. "I mistrust shag-fishin' will pay better, ez things go."
"Full o' gin an' Judique men, an' the judgments o' Providence layin' fer him an' never takin' good holt He's run in to bait, Miquelon way." "He'll run her under," said Long Jack. "That's no rig fer this weather." "Not he, 'r he'd'a done it long ago," Disko replied. "Looks 's if he cal'lated to run us under. Ain't she daown by the head more 'n natural, Tom Platt?"
"An' right there," said Tom Platt, experienced in discipline and etiquette "right there, I take it, Disko, you should ha' asked him to stop ef the conversation wuz likely, in your jedgment, to be anyways what it shouldn't." "Dunno but that's so," said Disko, who saw his way to an honourable retreat from a fit of the dignities.
"Still, things should ha' been kep' sep'rate," said Disko, and the light of new argument lit in Salters's eye as he crumbled cut plug into his pipe. "There's a power av vartue in keepin' things sep'rate," said Long Jack, intent on stilling the storm. "That's fwhat Steyning of Steyning and Hare's f'und when he sent Counahan fer skipper on the Marilla D. Kuhn, instid o' Cap.
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