the rail. "We had a flaw of wind just now, and it came pretty near
being blowed overboard."

"Gracious!" exclaimed Mr. Randall, as he clutched the coat. "I'm too
careless to live! There's six thousand dollars in a pocket of that
coat."

"Six thousand dollars!" ejaculated Lawry, whose ideas of such a sum
of money were very indefinite. "I should say you ought not to let it
lie round loose in this way."

"I'm very careless; but the money is safe," continued the director.

"Stand by, Captain John!" suddenly shouted Lawry, with tremendous
energy, as he put the helm down. The squall was coming up the lake in
the track of the _Missisque_; a dull, roaring sound was heard
astern; and all the mountain peaks had disappeared, closed in by the
dense volume of black clouds. The episode of the bank director's coat
had distracted the attention of the young pilot for a moment, and he
had not observed the rapid swoop of the squall, as it bore down upon
the sloop. He leaped over the piles of lumber to the forecastle, and
had cast loose the peak-halyard, when Captain John tumbled up the
companionway in time to see that he had lingered too long over the
green-apple pie, and that one piece would have been better for his
vessel, if not for him.

"Let go the throat-halyard!" roared he. "Down with the mainsail!
down with the mainsail!"

Lawry did not need any prompting to do his duty; but before he could