SALT-HALIBUT FISHERY. 107 



nishing the capital and the fishermen the labor, the profits to be shared in certain proportions. This 

 general arrangement is not universal, for on some fishing vessels the men are paid a stipulated 

 sum for the trip, the owners running the risk of profit or loss, while on others the crews are com- 

 posed of both hired men and sharesmen. 



EVEKY-DAY LIFE, SUPERSTITIONS, &c. On the evening of the 9th of June, at 6 o'clock, the 

 steam-tug pulled the Bunker Hill from the wharf, so that her sails might catch the wind favor- 

 ably. We had expected to start several hours earlier, but the little unexpected delays common to 

 such occasions had prevented. Even as it was, on counting up hands two men were missing, 

 so that while we tacked back and forth at the mouth of the harbor, waiting, a dory was sent to 

 find the delinquents. Two hours passed before the return of the dory, and our number was com- 

 plete; but during this time the wind had died out, rendering it doubtful whether we would succeed 

 in leaving the harbor that evening. At nine o'clock, however, we were outside of the harbor, 

 headed in the direction of Nova Scotia. 



The captain had his berth, and one had been assigned to me, but the rest of the crew had as 

 yet no settled sleeping place. The bunks to be chosen were in the cabin and forecastle. The cabin 

 had two double berths on each side; but as the starboard (right hand) ones were reserved for the 

 captain and myself, only two of the berths were vacant. As the berths were large, there was room 

 in the two larboard (left hand) ones for four, making six to sleep in the cabin. The forecastle was 

 arranged with berths on each side and a table in the center, in front of the foremast, where we 

 took our meals. 



The crew took their meals in two sets, the first of seven and the second of eight, and this 

 division was made in such a manner as least to interfere with the fishing arrangements. As 

 described below, the dorymates attended to the fishing arrangements of their own dory. Now, 

 many of these things, such as renewing hooks, baiting, &c., could be attended to by one man at a 

 time, and less time would be lost if only one went to meals while the other kept on working than 

 if both went together. On this account the division of the men at meals was made, with one 

 exception, caused by my presence, in such a manner that only one mau to a dory would eat at a 

 time. As for the captain and cook, who were exempted from fishing, the captain ate with the first 

 set, while the cook waited until the second. 



Another important matter attended to the first evening was the setting of the watches. On 

 leaving the wharf at Gloucester, the captain had taken the helm and kept it until we were well out of 

 the harbor and on our course, when the watches were divided. Two men stand on watch at a 

 time. Each watch is two hours long, and each man is at the wheel half of this time and forward 

 the other half. The captain and cook having no watching to do, this falls upon the other twelve 

 of the crew, who each have, out of the twenty-four, four hours of watching, two of which are spent 

 at the wheel. In order to prevent each man's watch coming the same hour each succeeding day, 

 one man each day omits his watch, and by this means all the watches are pushed backward every 

 twenty-four hours. The man who omits his watch is the one who otherwise would have his wheel 

 between six and seven in the evening. 



12-1 p. m. ( a j b t o 6-7 p. in. < h ( i Ij 



l-2p.m.\b\c\d 7-8 p. m. \i\j\k 



2-3 p. m. } c i d I e 8-9 p. in. j j i k i I 



3-4 p. m. ) d \ e \f 9-10 p. m. ) fc ) l\ a 



4^-5 p. m. i e ( f ( g 10-11 p. m. i l\ a ] b 



5-6 p.m. \f\g\ h 11-12 p. m. { a) b \ c 



Thus, for instance, in the table just given, if /'s wheel was between 5 and 6 p. m., g's wheel 

 would naturally come between 6 and 7, but g omits his watch, and h, taking his place, has the 



