"Hollo, Bobtail!" shouted the skipper of the Islesboro' packet, which had come in that morning, and lay alongside the wharf. "What boat's that?"
"The Skylark," replied the skipper.
"Where did she come from?"
"I don't know. I picked her up yesterday, and want to find the owner," replied Bobtail, who, while he was looking for an owner, did not really wish to find one, though he was prepared to do all that was fair and right in the premises.
"Where did you pick her up?" asked the skipper of the packet.
As the Skylark was now almost out of hailing distance, Bobtail came about, and ran up alongside the packet, skilfully spilling the sail at the right moment, so that she hardly bumped against the other vessel, though Monkey stood ready with the fenders.
"I picked her up near Blank Island," replied Bobtail.
"I seen a boat like her just about sundown last night. I couldn't make her out, but I cal'late that's the craft I see," added the skipper. "But how on airth came she adrift?"
"That's more than I know."
"Don't Captain Chinks know nothin' about her? He come over with me from Isleboro' this mornin'."