Net Overboard 



the Caroon. And then Finch stamped on the foot brake and fast- 

 ened the clutch in place. The red wires straggled to a stop. A 

 heavy hook, called the messenger, was then attached to the fore 

 warp, near the gallows, and allowed to slide down along it till it 

 was almost level with the stem. Its bridle was attached, through 

 sheaves on the engine room casing, to the small port drum at the 

 side of the winch, and this drum was now set in motion while a 

 deckie coiled the wire bridle around it, pulling gently to bring 

 the messenger towards the rail of the ship. The fore warp, of 

 course, came with it so that the two warps of the trawl were now 

 drawn close together near the stern. Finch then led his appren- 

 tice crew back there and showed them how to lock the tight 

 stretched wires in a stout metal block. At the sea bottom the net 

 was now fishing. They had only to wait until she came up. 



Full speed in the engine room, yes, but on the surface it was 

 less than half. The swell seemed heavier too because of the port 

 encumbrance and backward drag of their gear. Jan's nausea re- 

 turned. 'Better have a sandwich, Johnny. You'll never get done 

 with that lot till you've had something to eat. I used to get it my- 

 self. Every time I stepped on a boat I was sick as seven Chinamen. 

 It went on for ten years too.' Jan was beginning to believe that 

 Finch's injunctions would also go on for ten years, so he finished 

 by taking the advice and promptly spewed. But then he had to 

 take his turn at steering, sharing the narrow wheelhouse with that 

 bastard of a Goldfish. It was not going to be pleasant. 



They were towing in the arc of a circle. There would be little 

 to do but hold the wheel steady. Even that was more difficult 

 than Jan had anticipated. The Caroon kept tending to veer away 

 from the wind. He was continually having to make some slight 

 adjustment in reponse to Goldie's muttered endearments : 'A bit 

 more to the port.' 'A couple of degrees to starboard.' For, in- 

 deed, it was a very desiccated Goldfish who now stood on the 

 bridge. Instead of dribbling glances here and there his eyes would 

 be fixed intently ahead of him, studying the stem of the ship, for 

 long silent intervals. Then he would open the port door and look 



