"That's a big haul," he said; "will your net stand it?"
There was no hesitation in the reply.
"Yes," he said.
"Then I'm willin' to admit," said the seine-master, "that you win. I'd never ha' believed that you could get as big a net as light as that an' able to hold the fish. That'll save us fishermen a pile o' labor."
But the official was not to be tempted into talk, even on the question of his own invention. He simply nodded, and went on pursing in. Presently the Shiner came pelting down the breeze, still carrying quite a bit of canvas, there being not enough hands on board to reef. The weather was getting dirtier every minute.
"Hello there the boat!" hailed the captain.
"All right," the seine-master called back. "A couple o' hundred barrels."
"Net holding?"
"Looks like it."
"Better get on board soon's you can," the captain advised; "we may have a bit of a blow."