Several schooners were lying at anchor within the harbor's shelter,
and the strange new ship created a vast sensation as she hove to and
dropped her anchor among them, and hoisted the blue flag of the Deep
Sea Mission.
From masthead after masthead rose flags of greeting. It was a glorious
welcome for any visitor to receive. A warmer or more cordial greeting
could scarcely have been offered the Governor General himself. It was
given with the fine hearty fervour and characteristic hospitality of
the Newfoundland fishermen and seamen.
The _Albert's_ anchor chains had scarce ceased to rattle before boats
were pulling toward her from every vessel in the harbor. Ships enough
sailed down the coast, to be sure, but if they were not fishing
vessels they were traders looking to barter for fish, bearing sharp
men who drove hard bargains with the fishermen, as we shall see. But
here was a different vessel from any of them. Everybody knew that
_this_ was not a fisherman, and that she was _not_ a trader. What
_was_ her business? What had she come for? What did her blue flag
mean? These were questions to which everybody must needs find the
answer for himself.
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