204 ALONGSHORE iv 



he can outwit them, with stinging words at all 

 events. 



Returning to the boat with our splintered 

 loads, we laid them in tenderly and evenly, as if 

 they had been merchandise. Benjie stripped off his 

 jumper and jersey; took up his two-handled chop- 

 per. The great business of the day was to begin. 



Hidden behind a big rock were three sodden 

 pit-props of undressed pine-trunk — deck-cargo 

 washed overboard from some Baltic tramp steamer. 

 In the sweat of our brows we laboured, stripping 

 off the wet bark to lighten those pit-props. Then, 

 shouldering them, we staggered and slithered down 

 the beach to the unfortunate little boat. 



She was out of trim; deep and lop-sided in the 

 water. 'Us got 'bout enough, / think,' observed 

 Benjie. 'Good job 'tis calm. I'll just go ashore 

 again under Steep Head and get what I got there. 

 Mustn't leave it behind these low tides, else some- 

 body '11 hae thic too.' 



Ashore he went, with a saw, to collect and 

 shorten for the boat his bits of timber. There 

 was no little harbour handy at that time of tide. 

 He therefore laid his burden on a flattish shelving 

 rock; then stood over it, waiting, like a cor- 

 morant. 



