THE NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERIES. 125 



The morning having been spent in the way which 

 I have attempted to describe, and in listening to the 

 yarns of the men (often very instructive), as soon as 

 our boat was fall and would hold no more, we returned 

 to the Sainte Marie. There the captain and four 

 men had arranged long tables, with bari'els of salt 

 by the side. The interior of the ship was cleared of 

 all but the salt requisite for the preliminary opera- 

 tions, and as soon as the cod-fish were brought 

 upon deck the work of opening and curing com- 

 mencedo The first operator cut off the fish's head 

 with a single stroke, and threw the head overboard ; 

 then opening the upper part of the belly with a 

 cut, he passed the fish on to his neighbour, who re- 

 moved the entrails, took out the liver, which he threw 

 into a barrel, and then pitched the remainder into 

 the sea. A third sailor passed his knife under the 

 back-bone, separating it from the ilesh, and then 

 threw the fish down the hatchway. There were the 

 salters, who rubbed the fish well with salt, and 

 packed it into barrels. This Avent on until all the 

 fish had run the gauntlet from the knife of the first 

 operator to the salt hands of the men down in the 

 hold. 



After witnessing the barrelling for a good half 

 hour, I felt that I had seen enough of that part of 

 the work, and requested Captain Simon to allow me 

 to see a little of the net-fishing.* The very evening 



* A large net about three fathoms deep, leaded and corked. 



