FRESH AND SALT. 199 



glide freely over a roller from the hold ; a lad takes up the 

 " seizing," a short length of rope attached to every thirty 

 yards of net, and walks with it to the bows, delivering it to 

 a man who is paying out the stout cable, which, in addition 

 to its function of keeping the bottom line of the nets fairly 

 sunk, sustains the frail fabric as a connected whole. Some- 

 times vessels passing across the line of nets tear them 

 asunder, and but for the cable the dissevered portion 

 perhaps a mile in length would be destroyed. A trusty 

 man is therefore placed in the bows to affix the seizing to 

 the cable with thoroughness. 



As the Seabird drives astern and the shooting proceeds 

 the bowls ride ahead of us like huge black floats, growing 

 smaller and smaller until they are mere spots on the wave. 

 Already, before the nets are fully shot, three brigs, a French 

 fishing smack, and a barque reaching over towards land, 

 pass across our line, doing more or less damage, one may 

 be sure. The process of shooting keeps all hands in action 

 for a couple of hours, and then, sitting as best they may on 

 deck, with a service that gives little trouble and appetites 

 that require no caviare, the men dine. Potatoes (such red 

 kidneys the mate, who had grown them in his garden, swears 

 never were before) cooked in their jackets, a grand leg of 

 pork boiled to a turn, pudding, alias " duff," biscuit hard 

 .and wholesome, and a petit verre of highly perfumed Jamaica 

 rum, constitute the sole bill of fare. Each man is his own 

 carver, waiter, toastmaster, and speechmaker, and the music 

 of the spheres leaves nothing to be desired in the way of 

 orchestral accompaniment. 



" Nightfall on the sea " is not a bad notion for a warm 

 .drawing-room, brightly lighted, and with the soft presence 



