ten
o'clock at night
The situation had resolved itself into a race between the schooners , and Ellinwood was of no mind to come off second best . Like a jockey before a race , he watched his rivals . He knew that foxy Bijonah Tanner , who sometimes looked like an old hump-backed cod himself , was his most dangerous rival . Tanner said nothing , but his boats were out early and in late , and the lanterns on his deck over the dressing pens could sometimes be seen as late as ten o'clock at night . Visits among the fleet had now ceased , both because there was no time for it , and because a man from another schooner was looked upon as a spy . At the start of the season it had been expected that Nat Burns in the _ Nettie B. _ would prove a strong contender for premier honors , but , because of his ceaseless efforts to drive home his revenge , Nat had done very little fishing and therefore could not possibly be in the market . Other Freekirk Head men shrugged their shoulders at this .