At one time Captain Josh had been the most agreeable of companions, and
his return from a voyage was always a red-letter day in the parish.
His ringing laugh was heard at the store, and every evening his house
was filled with neighbours, who dropped in to have a smoke, and listen
to the yarns of the old seaman.
But two events coming close together produced a great change in the
captain. One was the absence of his only son, Jimmy, who had gone far
away to the northland, and never wrote home to his parents. The other,
was the loss of his vessel, the _Flying Queen_, a three-masted
schooner, which, loaded with a valuable cargo, lost her bearings, and
went ashore in a heavy fog. Owing to Captain Josh's excellent past
record, the shipping company was most lenient. He was permitted to
retire with a moderate allowance. This amount, together with what he
obtained from his few acres of land, and the fish and the fur he took,
was quite sufficient to keep him and his wife in moderate comfort.
The loss of his vessel, followed by his retirement, was a severe blow
to the captain. He was too old to take command of another ship for new
owners, and he chafed at his enforced stay on land.
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