TRAWLING 



the Strand, and have pulled unerringly up to their own 

 ship. 



Now there are fresh noises that again we should prob- 

 ably be unconscious of by day : the spasmodic rattle of 

 the rings on the mast, as the gaff and main-sail are hauled 

 into position ; or the more rapid and regular click-click of 

 the chain-cable as it is allowed to run through the hawse- 

 hole or over the bow. The fore-sail and jib-sail are set ; 

 perhaps the top-sail as well, if wind be scarce; and the 

 smack at last separates herself from the others which are 

 in various stages of readiness, and, in ghostly fashion, 

 slips away into the darkness. 



This gradual disappearance of boat after boat or of 

 the whole fleet together rather piques the watcher's 

 curiosity. The fisher crews are going away for a day or 

 two ; perhaps a week ; most likely a couple of months or 

 more, if they are trawlers. What is going to happen 

 during all that time ? The inquisitive one must go and 

 see for himself, for he can, in that way, learn more in a 

 few hours than six months 1 hearsay would teach him. If 

 he is known to the men, a good sailor, and is prepared to 

 " rough it," nothing is easier ; if he knows enough about 

 seamanship to be able to bear a hand on board (without 

 going out of his way to try to teach the skipper how to 

 manage his own boat) he may even be received with open 

 arms. I say " if he is known to the men." Fishermen 

 vary in their attitude towards landsmen. A Yankee cod- 

 skipper who is short of a hand would not hesitate to 

 engage even a tram-conductor or a hairdresser; and 

 would argue that, by the time the ground was reached, 



32 



