"Good-bye, sir," he said.
"Good-bye, Billy."
"Th-th-thanks, sir."
"Thanks?" cried Doctor Luke. "For what, Billy? I'm the debtor."
"Th-th-thanks, sir."
"Thank you, Billy, boy, for your most excellent company."
And so Billy and Archie left Doctor Luke at Poor Luck Barrens—hard at work and happy in his work. They made Bread-and-Butter Tickle; they travelled down the coast without incident; they shook hands with Teddy Brisk, who was still telling his adventures on the ice-floe, his leg as sound as any leg; and they came safe to Our Harbour, where they waited until Cap'n Saul put in with the Rough and Tumble. And then Archie would hear of nothing but Billy's company to St. John's—Billy must go to St. John's, and he would go to St. John's on the Rough and Tumble, ecod, or Archie would put him in irons and carry him there! Billy had no sound objection. From St. John's he could travel easily to his home at Ruddy Cove and arrive there long before the Labrador mail-boat would be north on her first voyage.
And so the boys boarded the Rough and Tumble together, fell in with Bill o' Burnt Bay, Jonathan Farr and little Toby once more, and put to sea. The Rough and Tumble was not loaded; she had more seals to kill and stow away, and Cap'n Saul was resolved to "put back loaded"—a desirable end towards which his active crew, in conjunction with his own sealing wisdom, was fast approaching.
"I'll load in a week!" he boasted.
And then——