SAILOR-FISHERMEN OF NEW ENGLAND. 67 



ways, fust thing any one knowed, a big sea lifted the vessel an' pitched her forrard. She struck her 

 nose on the bottom, an' just then another big one struck her fair in the stem, an' lifted it clean over 

 the bow; her masts struck an' snapped off, an' she went over the shoals an' floated in deep water 

 on the other side, fair an' square on her keel, with both masts broke off to 'ithiu fifteen feet o' 

 the deck.' 



"'Where were the crew?' 



"' Oh, they were down below. They said it was all over afore they knew what was up; they 

 didn't sense it at all at first. They said, all it was they was settin' thar 'n then,' illustrating by a 

 motion of the hand toward the ceiling and back to the floor; 'they struck the deck 'n then came 

 down agin all in a heap on the floor. They got up on the deck, kind o' dazed like, an' thar she 

 wus, a complete wreck.' 



"'How about the man at the helm?' 



'"Oh, he was lashed. But he said arterwerds, when he felt the old craft spiimiu' over, he 

 thought it was all over with him. He held on ter the wheel fur dear life an' never lost his grip; 

 but I tell you that's a tremendous strain on a man.' And the old captain clenched his large mus- 

 cular hands as if he thought he, too, for a time, was being subjected to the same strain. ' He wus 

 pretty nigh gone; but they unlashed him, took him dowu below, and did for him all they could. 

 Arter they got into port, he was laid up fur a long time, but finally come round all right.' 



" ' How did they manage to get into port with their vessel a wreck ? ' 



" 'They had a fair wind, the current was in their favor, an' they finally fell in with a vessel 

 that towed 'em in all right. That was the nar'rest 'scape I ever heerd of fur a vessel.' 



" 'Their good angels were watching over the crew that night, sure. If any one but you, cap- 

 tain, had told me that story I must say I should have doubted it.' 



"'Wall, you needn't doubt it, for it's gospel tnith, an' the man who owned the vessel was 

 Andrew Leightou, of Glo'ster, an* the cap'n who sailed her was named Bearse.' And the veteran 

 fish-dealer brought down his clinched hand upon an ice-chest that stood within reach with an 

 emphasis that settled all debate more effectually than the most successful gag-law ever put in 

 practice by the most astute politician." 



Dialect of Marblehead fishermen. — The first settlers of Marblehead came from the south 

 of England, and many of them from the Guernsey and other channel islands, and the peculiarities 

 of the dialects of their ancestors are still observable in this old town. Boads, in his History of 

 Marblehead, says : 



"So broad and quick was their pronunciation, and so strange were the idioms characterizing 

 their speech, that a native of the town was known wherever he went. Nor was this peculiarity 

 confined to any class or condition of men residing in the town. All shared it alike, of whatever 

 rank or condition in life. The words were clipped off verj T shortly, and in some sections there was 

 a slight difference in the dialect noticeable. The 'Cuny Lane' people always dropped the 'h' in 

 speaking, and their vernacular was much like that of a cockney Englishman, in addition to that 

 which betrayed them 'to the manner born.' 



"Hardly a family in the olden time escaped with a correct pronunciation of its name. The 

 name of Crowninshield became 'Grounsel;' Orue was transformed to 'Home; Trefry was variously 

 pronounced 'Duvy,' 'Tevy,' l Trevye,'aud 'Trefroy;' Quiner became 'Coonier;' Florence was clipped 

 to 'Flurry,' and Thrasher was abbreviated to 'Trash.' 



"So accustomed were many of the inhabitants to the cognomen by which they were known that 

 in some instances they did not recognize their own names when called by them. An instance of 

 this kind is related iu the 'Life and Letters of Judge Story,' who was a native of the town. Once 



