SAILOR FISHERMEN OF NEW ENGLAND. 75 



rupted the work of cleaning the fish. In this case the men washed the gurry off their clothes and 

 hands and .sought the table. As a rule, the dinner was announced after one gang of cleaners, at 

 least, were done; these would then wash up and go below. In this case, some from each table 

 would sit down together, those properly belonging to the second gang occupying the place of 

 the absentees of the first division. 



"The supper was usually served about half past 3 or 4 o'clock, coming directly after the 

 trawls had been baited up for the night-set. The men, if they wove the oil-skin suits in 'bait 

 ing up,' did not take them off before sitting down to the table. 



"In addition to three regular meals, two very definite informal meals were provided, besides 

 slight lunches at all times. It was a fixed habit with the men to proceed below to 'mug up' the 

 instant they came aboard from a haul or set. At evening, when he came on board from setting 

 the trawl, the fisherman invariably went at ouce to the dish-locker and took from it one of the 

 brown earthen mugs. This he filled from the tea-pot, which the cook had left partially full of 

 tea from supper. Then turning to the provision-locker, he extracted thence bread, pie, cake, or 

 meat, according to his fancy and the state of the larder. From these he made a very enjoyable 

 meal, talking meanwhile with those who were going through the same operations in their turn. 

 This 'mugging up' was also regularly practiced in the morning after the return from a haul. 



"One might expect that the food of the fishermen, especially when fishing, would consist quite 

 largely of fish. 1 had expected that it would be so, but found nothing of the sort. Only once a 

 week did the cook furnish fish, and that was on Friday, which was quite natural, since nearly all 

 hands were Catholics. The fare of the fishermen is far better than one would suppose who has 

 heard stories of the poor living of other sailors. They live far better than any other class of sea 

 faring men. and have provisions of a better grade and in greater variety. 



" lisniNG. — After they had finished breakfast, the crew at once got ready their dories and, 

 embarking, pulled away toward their outside buoys. This was usually just about sunrise ; very 

 often, indeed, when the day was clear the dories were away from the vessel before the sun came 

 up. When the weather was foggy — and it was foggy almost all the timeduriug July and August — 

 the skipper was occupied, during the absence of his men, in blowing a horn and ringing a large bell 

 which hung from the main boom, just over the wheel-box, to guide the men in their rowing, and 

 upon occasion he used to fire off a swivel to let them know the vessel's position. 



"The haul usually occupied the time 1 ill nearly 8 o'clock, sometimes longer, when anyone 

 failed to find his outside buoy or 'parted,' or was overtaken by any other accident to his trawl. 

 After the dories had come back and were unloaded the crew 'mugged up,' and then dressed the 

 fish and salted them down in the hold. This usually kept them leisurely at work until toward 11 

 o'clock, at which time they 'washed up' and went to dinner. 



••Alter a brief respite they began to make preparation for baiting up the, trawls for the 

 evening's set. Any who had their trawls snarled took this occasion for ' clearing' them : others, 

 more fortunate, forgot their troubles in sleep. By 1 o'clock or thereabouts all hands were turned 

 out by the skipper's ' Well, boys, let's bait up,' and ere long all were industriously at work getting 

 bait from the pens, chopping it into pieces of the proper size or fastening it to the hooks. 



" While the men thus occupied themselves, the cook improved his time by ' cutting out' sounds. 

 This business our cook pursued assiduously, often snatching a few moments from his work before 

 dinner to cut out sounds while the crew were 'dressing down,' and finishing his task while they 

 were baiting, and his assiduity repaid him when he reached Gloucester to the extent of an ad- 

 ditional $20. After supper, which was purposely placed early, the dories were hauled up from the 

 stern, where they had been left fastened since morning, and loaded up with the trawls, five tubs 



