FIJIE-NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITION 195 
and is owned largely by Mr. Allison. Sheep and a few horses 
were grazing on the grassy slopes and seemed to be in good con- 
dition. We picked up a few mollusks along the shore, but found 
nothing of special interest and went aboard again before noon. 
Here we found that fhe cook, a typical cockney Englishman, had 
managed to cut off a finger while preparing the meat for dinner, 
and had keeled over at the sight of blood. They had bound up 
his wound however, and he went on with his work as if nothing 
had happened. 
The Cowan was simply a tug-boat, about 80 feet long, given 
to fantastic performances in bad weather. The crew consisted of 
Captain McKay, Engineer Crawford, a mate, cook and three other 
hands, seven in all. When working they kept the trawl going 
night and day letting it down, or ‘‘shooting’’ it at intervals of 
about four hours. It is dragged over the bottom for three hours, 
then hauled up, and its contents removed, after which it is ‘‘shot”’ 
again. There were not enough men for two watches, so all hands 
were called every three hours to help get in the trawl, attend to 
the fish and ‘‘shoot’’ the trawl again. Much of the time they 
were wet either from water shipped by the boat which was some- 
times swept by heavy seas, or from handling the trawl; and in 
winter it was always cold. Managing the trawl is no child’s play. 
It is 120 feet long, 20 feet deep and has a very heavy mesh. It 
is hung so that when dragging along the bottom at a depth of 
from eighteen to forty-five fathoms it is on the starboard side, 
some distance astern and should hug the bottom at all times. 
When the three hours are up the net is reeled alongside by a reel- 
ing drum about amidship, set lengthwise of the deck and con- 
trolled by the mate. The trawl] line is passed over the rail at the 
bend of the starboard bow and as it nears the surface the ends 
of the net are taken inboard by hand. During this process the 
boat rolls heavily at times and the men are often drenched by 
spume and sometimes by solid seas broaching over the rail. Some- 
times the trawl is ‘‘hung up’”’ or caught on the bottom and then 
the men, captain and all, have to exert every ounce of strength 
to break it loose. 
After the ends and a considerable part of the trawl are taken 
over the rail, the fish are seen collecting in a ‘‘purse’”’ or a bag 
formed by the central part of the net which is pulled in last and 
the immense purse appears with sometimes as much as a ton of 
fish. This is hoisted over the rail and inboard by the engine 
