'There was eight, Jem,' he said--'the Jane Ann one, Lady Hilda two, the
Susan three, the Mary Ann four, Princess Alice five, the Lightning six,
the Eliza seven, the Alert eight.'
'Are you sure, Bob?'
'Quite sure, I saw them start.'
'Well, there's one missing, Jem,' he said; 'catch hold of this glass,
and just you count.'
'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.'
There _was_ one missing, and I felt that I knew which it was before
they came in sight.
It was the Mary Ann.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
Chapter IX
ASK WHAT YE WILL
We had run down the hill as quickly as we possibly could, but we were in
no haste to return. We waited until the boats were drawn in, and the
worn-out fishermen had come on shore. They knew nothing of the Mary Ann;
they had lost sight of her soon after the beginning of the gale. They
told us they had had an awful night, and had thought they would never
reach home in safety.
'However shall we tell Polly?' I groaned.
But a cold hand was laid on mine at that instant, and I turned round to
see Polly herself just behind me.
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