A NIGHT ON GUILLIAM. 249 



strongest of the crew, as is usual, were stationed at the 

 cork, the two others at the ground baulk. My assist- 

 ance, which I readily tendered, was pronounced unneces- 

 sary, so I hung over the gunwale watching the nets as 

 they approached the side of the boat. The three first, 

 from the phosphoric light of the water, appeared as if 

 bursting into flames of a pale green colour. The fourth 

 was still brighter, and glittered through the waves while 

 it was yet several fathoms away, reminding me of an 

 intensely bright sheet of the aurora borealis. As it ap- 

 proached the side, the pale green of the phosphoric matter 

 appeared as if mingled with large flakes of snow. It con- 

 tained a body of fish. " A white horse ! a white horse ! " 

 exclaimed one of the men at the cork baulk; " lend us a 

 haul." I immediately sprung aft, laid hold on the rope, 

 and commenced hauling. In somewhat less than half an 

 hour we had all the nets on board, and rather more than 

 twelve ban-els of herrings. 



1 The night had now become so dark, that we could 

 scarcely discern the boats which lay within gunshot of 

 our own ; and we had no means of ascertaining the 

 position of the bank except by sounding. The lead was 

 cast, and soon after the nets shot a second time. The 

 skipper's bottle was next produced, and a dram of whisky 

 sent round in a tin measure containing nearly a gill. 

 We then folded down the sail, which had been rolled up 

 to make way for the herrings, and were soon fast asleep. 



' Ten years have elapsed since I laid myself down on 

 this couch, and I was not then so accustomed to a rough 

 bed as I am now, when I can look back on my wander- 

 ings as a journeyman mason over a considerable part 

 of both the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland. 

 About midnight I awoke quite chill, and all over sore 

 with the hard beams and sharp rivets of the boat. 



