34 The Water-fowl Family 



for the morning, there wasn't one of us who 

 wouldn't have had that evening go on forever; 

 but at nine o'clock Uncle Dan quit telling stones, 

 and reached up on a shelf for an alarm clock, 

 which he wound and set at three. We pushed 

 our bench back and unlatched the door. It was 

 a bright moonlight night, and the sound of 

 pounding surf attracted us; we stood for a few 

 minutes on the beach, looking out on the white 

 streaks of ocean, when Uncle Dan's voice broke 

 the spell, " Get to bed, boys." To turn in under 

 these circumstances was an insult to the night, 

 but Dan Petty was boss down Bellport way, and 

 we turned in ; no one of us slept, not a wink. 

 We counted seconds, prayed for the alarm to 

 ring, and meanwhile listened to the noises of the 

 night. There was the sublime roar of the sea 

 and Uncle Dan ; when they came together, Uncle 

 Dan drowned out the sea. He snored fast and 

 slow, then tunes, and just honked on until three 

 A.M. The relief of that alarm ! Before it finished 

 ringing, we were all moving around. " Don't 

 wake up, boys; you've got one hour's more sleep." 

 The longest hour yet, and then a breakfast of 

 clam fritters and pancakes. It is a good while 

 still before daylight when we start, a mist hangs 

 over all around, and just a light breeze from the 

 east predicts a good battery day. The sail is 

 being hauled and the anchor weighed ; a minute 



