V SAUSAGES 295 



away, or four, 'Ca n fait rienf I replied 

 boldly. 'We will come.' 



'You will have le mal de nier, perhaps?' 



'Not likely ! We are fishermen ourselves,' I 

 protested, knowing very well that steamers, unlike 

 small boats, do sometimes make me sea-sick. 



'It will be very cold. Beaucoup de ve?it — 

 much, much wind outside — and from the east.' 



'Never mind. It will not be so cold aboard 

 your steamship as It is trying to sleep at night in 

 our little open boats. Shall we bring our food 

 with us ?' 



'There is bread and coffee aboard, and fish 

 when we catch it. Bring some eau-de-vie for 

 your coffee, and buy yourselves something at the 

 charcuterie. , . .' 



Then truly did my heart sink within me. The 

 charcuterie — how on earth was I to choose among 

 the multitudinous sausages of all sizes and shapes, 

 cooked, uncooked, and half-cooked, that festoon 

 a charcutier's shop? It was worse than trying to 

 pick out the words one understood from the 

 fishermen's dialect. Despairingly I turned to 

 the patron of 'Le Bon Pecheur' : 'If it pleases 

 you, monsieur, have the kindness to buy us what 

 we need, and we will pay you willingly what you 



