“We never met another craft the whole night through.  Yes, we did meet one.  Old Ezra Cahoon, of Harniss, was out in his dory stealin’ quahaugs from Seth Andrews’s bed over nigh the Wapatomac shore.  Ezra stayed long enough to get one good glimpse of us as we bust through the fog; then he cut his rodin’ and laid to his oars, bound for home and mother.  We could hear him screech for half an hour after he left us.

“Ez told next day that the devil had come ridin’ acrost the bay after him in a chariot of fire.  Said he could smell the brimstone and hear the trumpet callin’ him to judgment.  Likewise he hove in a lot of particulars concernin’ the personal appearance of the Old Boy himself, who, he said, was standin’ up wavin’ a red-hot pitchfork.  Some folks might have been flattered at bein’ took for such a famous character; but I wa’n’t; I’m retirin’ by nature, and besides, Ez’s description wa’n’t cal’lated to bust a body’s vanity b’iler.  I was prouder of the consequences, the same bein’ that Ezra signed the Good Templars’ pledge that afternoon, and kept it for three whole months, just sixty-nine days longer than any previous attack within the memory of man had lasted.

“And finally, just as mornin’ was breakin’, the bows of the floats slid easy and slick up on a hard, sandy beach.  Then the sun riz and the fog lifted, and there we was within sight of the South Ostable meetin’-house.  We’d sailed eighteen miles in that ark and made a better landin’ blindfold than we ever could have made on purpose.

“I hauled down the sail, unshipped the mast, and jumped ashore to find a rock big enough to use for a makeshift anchor.  It wa’n’t more’n three minutes after we fust struck afore my boots hit dry ground, but Billings beat me one hundred and seventy seconds, at that.  When I had time to look at that shover man he was a cable’s length from high-tide mark, settin’ down and grippin’ a bunch of beach grass as if he was afeard the sand was goin’ to slide from under him; and you never seen a yallerer, more upset critter in your born days.

“Well, I got the ark anchored, after a fashion, and then we walked up to the South Ostable tavern.  Peleg Small, who runs the place, he knows me, so he let me have a room and I turned in for a nap.  I slept about three hours.  When I woke up I started out to hunt the automobile and Billings.  Both of ’em looked consider’ble better than they had when I see ’em last.  The shover had got a gang of men and they’d got the gas cart ashore, and Billings and a blacksmith was workin’ over—­or rather under—­the clockwork.

“‘Hello!’ I hails, comin’ alongside.

“Billings sticks his head out from under the tinware.

“‘Hi, pard!’ says he.  I noticed he hadn’t called me ‘Grace’ nor ‘Dewey’ for a long spell.  Hi, pard,’ he says, gettin’ to his feet, ’the old gal ain’t hurt a hair.  She’ll be good as ever in a couple of hours.  Then you and me can start for Orham.’