IV SHARING THE WORK 215 



head's feebler stroke. Near the rocks among 

 which periwinkles are most abundant they hauled 

 up and left the boat. Taking a bowl and a ballast- 

 bag each, they clambered to the place. Benjie 

 pointed out the winkles. 'There, if you looks 

 under the stones in thic pool, you'll find 'em sure 

 'nuff. Lovely gert gobbets they be. They'm 

 there!' He himself moved off a little way, 

 splashed into the water, bent down nearly double, 

 raised the fringes of weed, dredged with his hands, 

 straddled the smaller pools, and lifted carefully the 

 flat, heavy stones under which winkles take shelter 

 at low tide. Soon they were clattering into his 

 bowl, which, when it was heaped full, he emptied 

 into his ballast-bag. Then at it again; without 

 any interval to ease his strong old back and knees. 

 'How be getting on?' he asked after he had 

 gathered three or four quarts. 'You'll hae to 

 hurry up if you'm going to catch me, looks so.' 



Beautiful was admiring the scenery. 'I tell 'ee 

 what,' he said. 'You pick the winkles into the 

 bowl, an' I'll empty 'em into the bags.' 



Benjie was so struck by Onionhead's division 

 of the labour that he forgot to 'tell him off' at the 

 moment. But he told the tale along the beach. 

 'What for the Lord's sake did 'er think? I was 



