“Well, Marshall, d’you want anything sent ashore?” asked the skipper.

“Yes, sir,” said Marshall, “I want to tell you that the men are grumbling about this cat being brought aboard.  You know how superstitious they are.  They want the lad to take it away with him again.”

“Their objections are silly and childish, Marshall,” said Mr. Gordon.  “They know that the ship is overrun with mice.”

“Yes, yes, sir; that’s all very well.  But they won’t have the cat aboard; and I think you’d better have the beast sent off.”

“The men are a pack of fools.  What harm can the poor cat do them, I’d like to know?  They think it’s unlucky, I suppose.  Well, if they will have it so, send a couple of them down the hold to capture the animal.  We must just bear the mice if the cat cannot remain.  Look smart, now, the boy’s in a hurry to get to his school.”

Two men were then sent below to search for Baudrons, and I waited for their return.  In about a quarter of an hour one of them came to say that the cat could not be found.

“Very well, then, I can’t keep the lad here any longer.  We must send the cat ashore with the pilot.”

Then the captain turned to me.

“Goodbye, Halcro, my lad!” he said; “perhaps we’ll be back in Orkney on our homeward voyage.  Maybe you’ll be a pilot yourself by that time, and bring us into port.  Goodbye!”

“Goodbye, Captain Gordon!” I murmured; and at that I slipped over the taffrail and was soon sitting in my boat again, rowing back to the town.

Chapter XIV.  Thora.

On my way to the school that morning I chanced to meet Hercus and Rosson coming down one of the side alleys.

“I say, lads,” I began, “d’ye ken what Dominie Drever says about the siller things we found at Skaill?”

“No! what is it, Hal?” asked Hercus.

“Why, he says that it was an old sea king’s grave that we discovered—­one of those viking lads that we read about in the history book.”

“You don’t say so!” exclaimed Rosson.

“Yes, and he says that we must take all the siller to him at the school.  There’s some law about it all, and we canna keep the things.  We maun give them up.”

“Will ye give your share up, Hal?” asked Hercus.

“I hae done so already,” I said.  “I left it wi’ the dominie yestreen.”

The lads looked at each other, but neither offered any objection.

“Oh, very well!” said Rosson, “I’ll bring mine down i’ the mornin’.”

“And I mine,” echoed Hercus.

During the first lesson in school it was noticed that Tom Kinlay was absent.

“Where is your brother this morning, Thora?” asked Mr. Drever.

“Please, sir,” said Thora, “I was to tell you that he’s not to come to the school again.  They’re buildin’ a new boat for father at Kirkwall, an’ Tom’s to be aboard of her.”