V NETS DAMAGED 317 



At eight o'clock the crew was still hauling, and 

 at nine. We could not now even glimpse the 

 sandy coast. It became necessary to shift herrings 

 from trunk to trunk. The fish were coming in 

 rather thicker. There were still enough nets left 

 for the catch to turn out a large one. 



The hauling-in no longer presented itself to 

 our minds as an episode of drifting: it was a day's 

 work in itself. 



At last, about ten o'clock, the skipper spoke 

 down to the engine-room, 'Put her ahead gently 

 — as gently as possible.' He took the wheel him- 

 self in order to steady the ship. Tt is necessary,' 

 he explained, 'to steam up to the last few nets. 

 They have not hold enough on the water to drag 

 the ship towards them.' 



T^e three end nets had been torn out of their 

 head-ropes, which came aboard with only rags of 

 the yarn hanging from them. 'They have fouled 

 the bottom,' said the skipper. 'In weather like 

 this what can one expect?' 



Knowing too well what the loss of nets may 

 mean to longshoremen, we were sympathetic; but 

 the French driftsmen, they did not care. 'It is 

 nothing, this: nothing at all unusual. Besides, 

 our Government makes half of our losses good 



