WALLEM ON AMERICAN FISHEKIES. 109 



coffee and tea can be had from five in the morning to six o'clock in the 

 evening. In other respects the victuals were good and nourishing, con- 

 sisting mostly of beef, pork, all kinds of fresh fish, different kinds of pie 

 and pudding, sometimes vegetables, with eggs occasionally ; in short, 

 about as in a frugal municipal family in Norway. The men were not 

 iiired, but had half the weight or a half share of the profits, which were 

 calculated after the expenses of salting, packing, barrels, &c., were de- 

 ducted. The cook, who besides the usual work in catching had to 

 prepare the meals, got besides for his part $27.30 per month. The trip 

 just ended had been made in three weeks and had yielded a profit of a 

 little over $81.90 net per man, which is considered a very good trip. The 

 crew in herring-fishing, on the contrary, is generally hired. They ship 

 at $10.92 to $13.65 per month for young boys ; $32.76 to $40.95 for able- 

 bodied fishermen. 



After being under sail a couple of days we saw a whole fleet of mack- 

 erel-schooners. There were between 80 and 90 sail, some of which had 

 made a light catch. We passed some steamers which carried on men- 

 haden-fishing, and which went into port every evening to unload. These 

 vessels were quite recognizable by this, that they had two men on the 

 lookout in the cross-trees, on the foremast, and the rest in boats prepared 

 for fishing. Among other sail we passed also an old-fashioned French- 

 rigged vessel, which carried on mackerel-fishing with trolling-lines ; the 

 vessel was belayed and went before the wind. A crew of ten men stood 

 to leeward, and each man with at least two hand-lines, which he inces- 

 santly cast out and hauled in, while two men ground bait (in a hand- 

 mill) and threw out "chum." The catch was poor, and the mode of 

 catching, itself, most fishermen had given up for capture with purse- 

 seines, which have superseded all other implements. 



While crossing back and forth we often saw mackerel-schools playing 

 in the water, but they vanished suddenly. The folks told me that one 

 could smeU mackerel as well as menhaden when the large schools of fish 

 were in the water. I entertained doubt of the truth of this information, 

 bat in the following week I became perfectly convinced of its authen- 

 ticity. Early one morning one of the crew said that he smelt menhaden, 

 and went immediately aloft on the foremast to discover the school. A 

 half hour later we saw a school jDlaying on the surface of the water ; it 

 was large mackerel. In haste everything was made ready ; the purse- 

 seine, which lay on the after hatch coiled up in a bundle and wet with 

 brine (to prevent rotting), was quickly flung down in the seine-boat, 

 which was kept constantly in towj next two small boats set out, so- 

 called "dories", flat-bottomed, light-rowing boats, half '■'• sjcegte^'' and half 

 lighter. These are said to be the best fishing-boats known. When all 

 was ready I leaped down into the boat, and away it went. After a half- 

 hour's rowing the seine-boss found that the time had come to row in on 

 a large school, which played quite delightfully. In three minutes the 

 seine, of about 250 fathoms, was rowed out and cast in a circle around the 



