314 ALONGSHORE v 



took a half turn so that the under side came 

 uppermost, and passed over the short roller Into 

 the hold, with its head-rope now the right way 

 round for shooting next time. Down in the 

 net-hold men laid it evenly from end to end, 

 and picked out the few tightly meshed herrings 

 that remained. 



We watched with some anxiety, for on the 

 catch depended our getting home, and, as Jim 

 said, "Tisn't the sort o' thing you wants to look 

 at two nights running when you an't got none of 

 the work o'it to do.' At first the nets were nearly 

 empty; then a few bunches of herrings shone in 

 the water and rose glittering over the gunwale; 

 and then two or three nets were hauled in fairly 

 full. None of them, as will sometimes happen, 

 came aboard solid with fish and ripping them- 

 selves to pieces. There was no need to slow 

 down the capstan. 



'They herrings shakes out easier,' remarked 

 Jim, 'when they'm fresh-caught than they do 

 when you got to pick 'em out ashore, like us, 

 after they'm dead an' stiff. Lord! if they had 

 to pick each one o'em out ashore, they'd never 

 do it. How long did they say they was hauling 

 in? Six or eight hours? Twelve hours if 'tis 



