The Glow Spreads West 45 



ros-ries away over the waves, and the line leading from it goes taut 

 and rips one of the bales of cork out of the hands of a man amid- 

 ships. At the same time those aft start to pay out the fish net. This 

 has a multitude of little cork floats spaced evenly along one edge 

 and heavy stones along the other, and as soon as sufficient of its 

 length is in the water, it just pulls itself off the stern of the 

 boat. 



But by now the second man has cast his trident. This sails away 

 to the other side, sticking up out of the waves like a flagpole. An- 

 other cork bale goes overboard. Now the first man casts again, and 

 then again. Ten times they cast and six times the line yanks a cork 

 bale overboard. Then, suddenly it is all over. The next tridents re- 

 main poised on high; the wind calls in the rigging; the timbers of 

 the boat squeak and work; the spray hisses; but the Lambs of the 

 Sea have passed. 



Far behind now, the six cork bales bobble about on the waves, 

 sometimes throwing up spume, sometimes disappearing below for 

 many seconds. The net is all overboard and straggling behind like 

 a silver serpent in the wake. Its drag has slowed the boat consider- 

 ably despite the strong wind. All hands then leap to the sails, and 

 the helmsman braces his feet against the gunwale and pushes the 

 tiller far over the side of the vessel. With a great flapping of canvas, 

 the slender sea chariot comes about, right into the wind, and then 

 instantly lays about on the other tack and goes scudding off, tossing 

 spray. The trailing net curves into a great half-moon. 



Then there follows a long tense period of maneuvering as the 

 helmsman circles the six bobbing bales, round and round in ever- 

 decreasing compass, until the long, trailing net almost closes itself 

 and all the bales but one are milling around in the middle. But the 

 maneuver is not yet over, for just as the net closes, three of the 

 bales vanish below and minutes later bob to the surface far off out- 

 side the net. Only two are left within. But now it is too close to 

 maneuver with sails alone, and they are dropped. Oars are broken 

 out and the boat suddenly reverses across its own wake in a back- 

 ward rush, driven by the rowers, who stand facing the stern. The 

 net forms a loop around one of the bales and suddenly goes taut, 

 then is lashed furiously about, being pulled first this way, then that. 



