“These are for you, Master Conway,” he said.  “With your permission I shall stick to that ere piece of beef your mother was good enough to send.  Fish ain’t no treat to me, and I don’t often get meat.  Keep your eye lifting while I am down below.  There ain’t many craft about in these days, still we might tumble against one.”

“I should not see a light far in this mist, Joe.”

“No, you couldn’t; and what’s worse, many of them don’t carry no lights at all.”

“It would be a good thing, Joe, if there was a law to make all vessels carry lights.”

“Ay, ay, lad; but you see in war times it ain’t always convenient.  A peaceful merchantman don’t want to show her lights to any privateers that may happen to be cruising about, and you may be sure that the privateer don’t want to attract the attention of peaceful traders until she is close upon them, or to come under the eye of any of our cruisers.  No, no; there ain’t many lights shown now, not in these waters.  Folks prefer to risk the chance of running into each other rather than that of being caught by a French privateer.”

Now that the trawls were out there was no occasion for any one to attend to the helm, consequently when Joe announced that the fish were ready Ralph went down and joined him in the cabin.  The first hours of the night passed quietly.  Once an hour a trawl was hauled in and got on board, and as the catches were satisfactory Joe was in capital spirit.

“You have brought good luck, Master Conway; and I notices I generally do well when you are out with me.  I am getting more fish to-night than I have any night for weeks, and if it goes on like this till morning I shall make a good thing of it.  I wants it bad enough, for I am in arrears a bit with my rent.  The war has made everything so terrible dear that it is as much as a poor man can do to keep his head above water.

“What time is it now, Joe, do you think?”

“About two o’clock, I reckon.  It will begin to get light in a couple of hours, and at five we will up nets and make our way back.”

He had scarcely spoken when he shouted “Ship ahoy!  Look out for yourself, lad!” Startled by the suddenness of the cry Ralph looked round.  He saw a crest of white foam a few yards away in the darkness.  A moment later something dark passed over his head and a rope brushed his cheek, and as it did so a black mass struck the boat.  There was a crash, a shock, and the Heartsease, after first heeling deeply over under the pressure, suddenly sank down like a stone.  Ralph had staggered under the force of the collision, and would have fallen back as the boat heeled over, but instinctively he threw up his arms and his hand came in contact with the rope that had an instant before touched his cheek.  He seized it with both hands, and threw his legs round it as the boat went down from under his feet, the whole thing being so sudden that it was nearly a minute before he could realize what had happened.  Then he heard voices talking close by and, as it seemed, above him.