300 ALONGSHORE v 



and englned. Very high In the bows and well cut 

 away beneath her overhanging stern — she is lively 

 on the seas; but amidships she is so low that the 

 water came over the gunwale all night. Like 

 most of the steamers which frequent the narrow 

 crowded harbour of Boulogne (including the cross- 

 channel boats) she has a bow-rudder for going in 

 stern first. The engines and deckhouse — on top 

 of which, in front of the funnel, is the wheelhouse 

 and chartroom — are placed well aft in order to 

 leave plenty of room on deck for fishing opera- 

 tions. Looking for'ard up the deck are first the 

 small hatchway of the cable-hold; then the cable's 

 steam-capstan, — an English patent, with its neat 

 little flat engine on the top of it; and then the 

 wide hatchway of the net-hold, extending nearly 

 the breadth of the deck. Between that and the 

 foremast are other holds for ice, buoys, and fish, 

 and very for'ard is the hatchway to the fore- 

 castle. Along either side of the deck, against 

 the bulwarks and about as high, are the herring- 

 trunks — that is to say, large, long wooden boxes, 

 divided into compartments into which the herrings 

 are shaken and shovelled. 'Last year,' said the 

 skipper, 'we had an American aboard here who 

 wanted to take photographs. He got dancing 



