IV BARE-KNEES' CHANCE 241 



h.errino;s — sell some o'em if tlicc't minded — an' 

 here's a shilling for thee to go on with. Thee's get 

 thy ehance," I told 'en, "if thee's wait." 

 'He did too; an' from me. 

 'It come'd on to hlow next day, an' us didn't 

 go to sea for a week; an' when it did stop 

 blowing, it come'd in foggy. Jack an' me had 

 our nets in the boat, an' was having an argument, 

 like us do, w'er us should shove off or not — not 

 but what we wasn't o' the same mind really, which 

 was to stop ashore. 



'Bare-knees comes along while we was arguing 

 of it out. "What's the use o'it?" Jack was 

 saying. "You shoves the boat down an' hauls 

 about your gear, taking out o'it more'n thee's 

 earn, an' all the time thee doesn't know w'er the 

 herrings be still in the bay or not." 



'Us always got to find 'em, an't us?" I said. 



'Aye !" says Jack. "An' thee ca'st find 'em in 

 this here fog, an' not know after that where you've 

 a-found 'em to, nor where to shoot your nets, an' 

 very likely lose or tear abroad the whole fleet o'em 

 wi' shooting too far in. How ca'st thee tell where 

 thee a't in a fog." 



'Well, I've a-see'd fogs lift afore now." 



'An' us have a-see'd 'em get thicker, an't 



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