Ian Hay

“ Aunt Sylvia invented a competition, and offered a shilling as the prize. The competition was this: If you caught a flounder, you got one mark. If you caught a whiting, you got two marks. If you caught a codling or a haddock, you got three marks. If you caught a whale, you got a hundred marks. (Aunt Sylvia made this bit up to please Jerry really.) But if you caught a dog-fish, you got minus four marks. ”

“ Why not try rowing instead of paddling? You could turn into an ancient Greek galley for the occasion.”
“Unfortunately,” replied Aunt Sylvia, “we can’t. One of our number has had a trifling accident with the rowlocks, so we simply have to be Red Indians.”
Kit went perfectly crimson, but the officer just nodded, and said: “In that case I think we may be of some assistance. I would take you all on board my ship and run you into port, but I happen to be rather busy just now.” ”

“ He counts a hundred and then pulls up.
It was rather a close day, very still, with patches of thick white mist on the water—very pleasant for fishing, as the boat did not rock. Jerry, who had been muttering to himself in a low voice, soon said: “Ninety-nine, a hundred!” and pulled up his line. Both baits were gone, which upset him very much; but Aunt Sylvia said it was a sign that there were fish about, so he cheered up.
We were all fishing hard now. Belle, who is rather religious, was caught by Aunt Sylvia praying that she might catch nothing but haddocks. ”

“ If there is n’t one, we must just start paddling again.”
Then another tremendous thing happened. Aunt Sylvia had hardly spoken, when out of the mist came a ship!
IV There was a sort of bank of mist lying on the water close to us, and the ship came out of that. She was a long, low vessel, painted grey, with four fat black funnels and one silly little mast. She was going very slowly, because of the fog. As she passed us, her engines stopped altogether.
“It’s a man-of-war,” said Belle.
“It’s a torpedo-boat destroyer,” said Aunt Sylvia.
“German?” asked Kit, rather frightened. ”

“ I don’t suppose there is much wrong with the engine after all,” he said to Aunt Sylvia. “Now, supposing—”
“Oh, do be quick!” screamed Kit. “He may escape!”
The officer stopped talking to Aunt Sylvia, and laughed.
“Little lady,” he said to Kit, “you are right and I am wrong. I must n’t lose any time.” He turned to the young officer.
“Bartholomew,” he said, “make fast this boat to your stern. Then put me back on board the Lame Duck. Then tow this party to within easy reach of Saltways, and rejoin us as fast as you can at the Parson's Hat.”
The young officer said: “Very good, sir!” ”

“ Mother does not allow her to pray that she may win games or competitions. Aunt Sylvia knows this, and told her not to be a little prig. She also had to speak to Kit, who was trying to irritate Jerry by jerking his line when he was not looking. She does this very often—irritates Jerry, I mean.
However, it was Jerry who caught the first fish. Of course it was a flounder, and only counted one mark. But Jerry was delighted, and insisted on keeping it down inside his sailor suit. After that I caught a whiting (two marks) , and Kit caught a codling (three marks) . ”

“ Then he told a sailor to hand us down a pair of rowlocks.
“Some day,” he said, “I shall come and call for those rowlocks, so don't lose them!” We promised not to.
“Now I must leave you,” he said. “Forgive me for not coming with you, but I have to go down to the kitchen, to heat the cannon-balls red-hot.” ”