So they drew up alongside of the Viking’s tender, and the boys threw their catch into the crew’s boat.
“Twenty-six, twenty-seven,” counted Henry Burns, as the last one went over. “Keep that score in mind, George, when we come to reckon up. Tom’s ahead in our boat. He’s caught ten of them. But we want to see which boat wins, too.”
The crew rowed away, down alongshore.
An hour and a half later, the boys in both boats stopped fishing, to reckon up their catch.
“Tom’s got nineteen fish,” called out Henry Burns.
“It’s a tie,” cried young Joe, excitedly. “I’ve got just nineteen.”
“Then we’ll give you each five minutes more,” said Harvey, pulling out a silver watch. “Say when you’re ready to throw overboard, fellows.”
Tom and young Joe baited up for the final effort, and the lines went out together.
They waited expectantly. Two, three, four minutes went by, without a bite.
“Guess they’ll need five minutes more,” said Henry Burns.