234 ALONGSHORE iv 



'Shuts his hooter, thlc parson did. 



'That was after ol' Bare-knees had been going 

 to sea two or three seasons, an' bad seasons they 

 mostly was, I mind; enough to take the heart out 

 o' any man. Only, you see, if you been brought 

 up to fishing you don't look to anything else to 

 help 'ee out o'it, an' that makes 'ee follow it up. 

 'Tis different when you got something to fall back 

 on. 



'OF Bare-knees have, if he was like to do it. 

 He's a carpenter by trade; a good workman, I've 

 heard 'em say; an' used to earn good wages. 

 Used to spend half o'em, I should say, on 

 mackerel hooking in the summer, for all us let 

 'en hae a boat cheap, him being one o' the likes 

 o' ourselves. He could sail a boat all right long 

 afore he come'd out to beach. Then, suddently, 

 wi'out saying a word to anybody what he was 

 about, he throw'd up his job an' walked out to 

 beach, saying he was going to try that an' go to 

 sea. Us laughed at 'en, not thinking he meant 

 It; but there he was, an' there he stayed. No- 

 body know'd why he'd a-lef his work. Some 

 said he was clean mazed an' the next place he'd 

 sail to would be the 'sylum, an' be took In a cab 

 wi' a strong chap sitting each side o'en. An' 



