Mackerél Trolling. 187 "Yes, the others thought that was a capital way, and they remained some time, and talkect about the time and place. " ' But I suppose no one hears us,' said the skipper's wife again. " ' Well, you know that !' answered the other two. " ' You see, there is a remedy they can use against us, and if it were used, it would be a serious thing for us, it would cost us our lives/ " ' What remedy is that, sister ? ' said one of the mates' wives. " ' Butareyousurethatnoonehearsus? IthoughtIsawsome smoke from the forecastle.' " ' You know there isn't ! We have looked into every corner. They forgot to put out the fire in the stove, that's the reason it smokes/ said the mates* wives. ' Let's hear about the remedy ! ' "* If they buy three cords of birch logs/ said the witch, ' but they must be exact measure —and no bargaining about the price, and if they throw overboard the one cord of logs, piece by piece, when the first sea comes, and the other cord, piece by piece, when the second sea comes, and the third cord, piece by piece, when the third sea comes, then it's all over with us.' " ' Yes, that's true, sister, then it's all over with us, then it's all over with us ! ' said the mates' wives ; ' but nobody knows it ; ' they screeched and laughed aloud, and then they flew up through the main hatch, and screeched and gobbled like ravens. " When they were ready to sail, the boy would not for the life of him go in the ship for all the skipper talked to him and promised him ; there was no help for it, he would on no account go in the ship. At last they asked him if he was afraid, since it was getting so late in the autumn, and if he would rather sit in the chimney corner behind his mother's petticoats. >" ' No,' said the lad, he was not afraid ; he thought they never had seen any sign of his being afraid, or using tricks as the land crabs might do, and he would prove it to them, for now he would go with them in the ship, but on the condition that they bought three cords of birch logs, exactly measured, and that he was to have the command of the ship, as if he was the skipper, on a certain day. The skipper asked the meaning of this nonsense, and if he
