148 ALONGSHORE 



III 



'George an' Harry.' 



'What?' 



'In the old HenJ 



'The old Hen !' shouted Jim joyfully, bound- 

 ing off the sea-wall. "TIs the old Hen — ol' 

 Benjie's boat come back again. Whoever thought 

 to see she. Come on ! Come on ! Haul her 

 up ! 'Tis the old Hen !' 



'Thee casn't haul her.' 



'Where's the cut-rope o' her? Where's a 

 capstan?' 



'There ain't one. Thic thing up top beach Is 

 only fit to haul up punts.' 



'Well, then, lighten her then. Then, maybe, 

 us can haul her up to it. 'Tis only the old Hen. 

 Her's so light as a feather, her is, wi'out her nets 

 an' gear.' 



"Tisn't no good I tell thee. . . .' 



'Come on an' lighten her an' see. 



We stumbled up the beach with her mast, oars, 

 and ballast. We climbed a lamp-post and turned 

 up the light. Then we began hauling the tangled 

 nets out of her, passing them to the top of the 

 beach as fire-buckets are passed along. Some were 

 so rotten that they tore under the fingers; of one 

 net only the head-rope was left. After a couple of 



