52 VIKINGS OF TO-DAY 



ice is blown off the coast by westerly winds. Most 

 are from Newfoundland, some from Canada, with 

 occasional Americans buying fish. They come in 

 every variety of vessel small and large, good, bad 

 and indifferent mostly of the schooner type. They 

 number about 2,000. Besides the crew, which varies 

 from five to ten men, with one or two women, each 

 Newfoundland vessel brings a number of people 

 called " freighters." These are landed at various 

 harbours, where they have left mud huts and boats 

 the previous year, and where they will fish all sum- 

 mer. The fish is " made " or cured in Labrador, and 

 sent in large vessels to the Mediterranean, Brazilian, 

 or English markets. Meanwhile, the schooner has 

 gone further north in search of a " fare " of fish. If 

 successful, the fish will be salted, and brought home 

 "wet," so that these vessels are called "green-fish 

 catchers." As they come south they call for their 

 " freighters," with their goods and chattels, who pay 

 25 cents per head per cwt. of fish caught in return 

 for their passage. The overcrowding on some of 

 these vessels returning is very great, and is made 

 worse by the fact that every year more vessels go 

 than return. Besides the cargo of fish, casks of oil, 

 nets, boats, and general goods, perhaps thirty, forty, 

 or fifty men and w r omen will be crowded into these 

 small vessels, at times with only room to lie down 

 in the hold between the deck and the cargo. On 

 one small schooner of nineteen tons we counted fifty 

 people, thirty-four men and sixteen women. The 



