‘We have men to bait our lines, men to pull the lines, and oarsmen,’ said the chief officer. ‘There are four of us as usual, and it will only cause trouble if we take more with us.’
‘Anyhow, take me just this once,’ said the stranger; ‘I particularly want to be with you, and perhaps I may bring you good luck.’
‘Very well, then; as you have such a great desire to be with us, I will let you,’ said the chief officer. ‘Cross yourself, say your prayer, and get into the boat.’
The stranger crossed himself in the Greek manner, bowed towards the east, and prayed, ‘Gospodi pomilui nas!’ ‘Lord have mercy upon us!’ Then he got into the boat with the rest, and they put off to the place where the lines were to be cast.
They were specially fortunate that day. There were fish, so to speak, on every hook, and the boat was quite laden with them. So they rowed back again to the harbour; but, as usual, the chief officer did not venture to omit taking the course by the island of Anikief, in order to deliver a portion of the fish to the pirate who lay off there with his big ship. The stranger was decidedly of opinion that there was no need to hurry; they might just as well first row back to their own place and wait for Anika to come in person and demand the fish, if he dared.
‘Dares!’ said the chief officer. ‘He will kill us if we do not voluntarily give what he demands, and take it to him on board his ship.’ [[34]]
‘Let’s see,’ suggested the stranger.
They then made for the island to land there, and the stranger was the first to jump on shore. While the others were still in the boat he took hold of it by the bow, and pulled it so far up on the beach that four men together could not have done it better.
‘That fellow doesn’t want for strength,’ thought the chief officer to himself.
They then threw the fish ashore to clean them. This last work was entrusted to the stranger, while they themselves disentangled and baited the lines.