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“Skipper Bill told me that t’ Governor offered to make him t’ captain of a man-o’-war, just to stop t’ law-breaking on the coast. But he were a policeman instead because he felt ashamed to see t’ laws broken and villains like Louis go free. ‘It’s to teach you people on t’ coast to be good boys what brings us away from our homes so far in t’ fishing season.’

“They never stopped loading a minute all t’ time, and as soon as ever they were ready, and that wasn’t long after it were light, away they goes towing t’ two boats behind, and giving it to her straight for t’ Labrador. ‘Skipper Life,’ Bill shouted, just after the anchor was up, ‘if you sees Louis be sure and tell him to be good and say his prayers, and when he is ready, not to forget his uncles in Labrador and come over and settle down peaceful like.’

“No, Doctor, Louis never got so much as a match back, though he wrote and wrote about it–and Louis were a good scholar, being well learnt in France. All t’ Government did was to offer Captain Fordland, who fished t’ big Jersey rooms across near Isle au Loup on Labrador, another hundred dollars to bring back Skipper Bill with him in t’ fall. T’ captain told his men that they could divide t’ money if they liked to catch old Portland out of hours.

“I ‘lows it was more t’ fun of hunting than anything else that started ’em, though two hundred dollars cash meant a nice bit in them times. Soon there were half a dozen small crowds keeping an eye out for Bill. There were no wires or mail steamers to carry news them days, and it so happened that Bill fell right into t’ trap. For Captain Fordland did a bit o’ trade, and Bill, being out of flour, come along to buy a barrel. Half a dozen men soon had him and his boat as well. T’ trouble was where to keep him till they went home in t’ fall, which was a full two months anyhow.

“The crowd what took him got leave from Skipper Fordland to lock Bill up in t’ top storey of t’ old Jersey brick store on the Island; and ’em fixed it like sailors so that not even Bill should get away. They had to share t’ expense of feeding and looking after he between ’em, and though they didn’t give he none too much it took quite a bit of their wages–only a hundred dollars for the whole summer.

“Bill had been there nearly six weeks and all hands were thinking of going home, when one day he told t’ cook who brought up his food that he was fair dying of doing nothing, and couldn’t he give him some work. Being an old sailor, he set Bill to making bread bags, and for a few days he made a whole lot, and t’ cook took it easy. All he gave Bill was some canvas, a pocket-knife, and some needles and thread. Bill, however, saved a lot of canvas out of them bags and made himself a long rope of it. Then he just worked on, waiting for a real dark night and an offshore wind, when he let hisself down through t’ window, swam off to t’ best fishing bully Captain Fordland had, and was out of sight before daylight.

“You may bet they was all mad, more especially t’ captain, who swore that t’ crowd would have to pay for his good boat. What they said and did to t’ cook be scarcely fit for ears to hear. Anyhow, no one knowed where Bill had gone, and none of that crowd ever saw him again. He weren’t very dear to memory either.

“T’ next place us heard of him was on the West Coast. He brought with him an Eskimo wife he called Nancy, who was very good at doctoring. She could make poultices out of herbs and medicines out of t’ woods, and she would charm toothache and warts and such like, and could stop bleeding by just tying green worsted round your left arm. She had a haddock’s fin-bone that never touched any boat that she used to lend out for rheumatism. She did a lot o’ good, they says, Doctor, and she made a nice bit of money, too, so that old Bill had an easy time. But he spent most of t’ cash in liquor, and at last she wouldn’t work any more for he and he got beating her. One, day he come rowing down right into Port Warfield, with she tied up in t’ bottom of t’ boat, and a stone tied round her neck as well! It so happened that big Skipper Weymouth came alongside and seed her.

“‘What be you going to do wi’ she?’ he asked, he not being afraid as most were. ‘Why drown her, to be sure,’ said Bill. ‘I towed her behind t’ boat for a mile a week ago come Sunday to drive t’ devil out of her. But she ain’t no good to me now, and so I reckon I’ll get another.’

“The skipper saw that Bill had liquor in him and was quarrelsome, and feared that he’d just as likely as not upset t’ boat–and drowned t’ woman would be sure enough with that stone round her neck. So he says, ‘Drown her! Not on this coast and lobsters just setting in. She’d spoil the catch all summer just to spite you.’ Bill looked puzzled. ‘You’re right, sure enough, Skipper Alf. I’ll have to do for she some other way’–and round he goes and rows her home again.

“The people, howsomever, was real afraid, and letters went up to the Government. No doubt Bill heard about it. But there were no place left now for him to go safely, so he just drank and drank where he was, all he could lay hands on; and when he couldn’t get no more I guess he must have gone mad. For he were found dead on t’ floor of his house, with a great big knife he had for hunting deer in his hand.

“Yes, his wife’s alive to this day so far as us knows. Her son Bill found a box of old silver dollars, Spanish and French, buried under t’ house Bill had on Labrador, the time he were trapped by Captain Fordland’s men. They were mostly about a hundred years old. I saw many of them, but where they come from, or how he come by ’em, no one ever knew. We heard, however, that they helped poor Nancy to get back to her people again all right.”