"You needn't be sorry Max Hilliger isn't here," Darby responded. "He turned ridiculously crusty yesterday morning when the constable spoke about our beating the Germans. I suppose it was natural, since he's a German himself. Of course, he couldn't have stopped in the troop, even if he'd wanted to, being one of the enemy. But he might have had the grace to pay his debts. Mr. Bilverstone will never get the three shillings he owed him."
"Why? Max hasn't left the town, has he?"
"Yes, he has. He went off by the afternoon tide in that Dutch ketch that has been lying in the Roads so long. I suppose we've seen the last of him."
Redisham glanced round the wide stretch of sea, as if in search of the ketch, but there was no sign of her.
Darby jumped down from his perch, and Mark followed him aft, past the wheel-house, to find the skipper giving instructions for the trawl to be put out. They were now near the fishing grounds of the Silver Pit, a favourite spot for longshore soles and turbot.
When the trawling gear was out, the skipper and his two guests went below for breakfast in the tiny compartment which did service as a cabin. In taking his seat at the narrow flap table, Mark Redisham had to make room for himself by removing a gun. He examined the weapon, and, recognising it, looked across at Darby Catchpole.
"Why on earth have you brought your fowling-piece with you?" he asked in surprise. "Do you expect that you may need to defend yourself against the enemy?"
Darby laughed.
"No," he explained. "I told you once that I'm helping to complete the collection of East Coast birds for the Haddisport Museum. They don't possess a specimen of the common or North Sea tern. I thought perhaps I might get one."
He took his fowling-piece on deck with him. There were many sea birds—gannets, mews, and fulmars—flying about, but the graceful sea swallow was absent, and he transferred his interest to the work of hauling in the trawl.