chap, or a New Lunnoner, that had fallen a little to leeward, is more than I can understand, Captain Gar’ner!  Depend on it, sir, there’s a reason for’t.  Men don’t put schooners into the water, now-a-days, and give them costly outfits, with three whale-boats, and sealin’ gear in abundance, just for the fun of making fancy traverses, on or off a coast, like your yacht gentry, who never know what they would be at, and who never make a v’y’ge worth speaking on.”

“I have been turning all this over in my mind, Mr. Hazard,” answered the young master, who was amusing himself at the moment with strapping a small block, while he threw many a glance at the vessel that was just as close under his lee as comported with her sailing.  “There is a reason for it, as you say; but, I can find no other than the fact that she has come so much out of her way, in order to fall in with us; knowing that we were to come round Montauk at a particular time.”

“Well, sir, that may have been her play!  Men bound the same way often wish to fall into good company, to make the journey seem the shorter, by making it so much the pleasanter.”

“Those fellows can never suppose the two schooners will keep in sight of each other from forty-one degrees north all the way to seventy south, or perhaps further south still!  If we remain near each other a week, ’t will be quite out of the common way.”

“I don’t know that, sir.  I was once in a sealer that, do all she could, couldn’t get shut of a curious neighbour.  When seals are scarce, and the master don’t know where to look for ’em, he is usually glad to drop into some vessel’s wake, if it be only to pick up her leavin’s.”

“Outfits are not made on such chances as that.  These Vineyard people know where they are going as well as we know ourselves; perhaps better.”

“There is great confidence aboard here, in the master, Captain Gar’ner.  I overheard the watch talking the matter over early this morning; and there was but one opinion among them, I can tell you, sir.”

“Which opinion was, Mr. Hazard——­”

“That a lay aboard this craft would be worth a lay and a half aboard any other schooner out of all America!  Sailors go partly on skill and partly on luck.  I’ve known hands that wouldn’t ship with the best masters that ever sailed a vessel, if they didn’t think they was lucky as well as skilful.”

“Ay, ay, it’s all luck!  Little do these fellows think of Providence—­or of deserving, or undeserving.  Well, I hope the schooner will not disappoint them—­or her master either.  But, whaling and sealing, and trusting to the chances of the ocean, and our most flattering hopes, may mislead us after all.”

“Ay, ay, sir; nevertheless, Captain Gar’ner has a name, and men will trust to it!”