THE OYSTER 



of one of the pails you will find a curious mixture; 

 young oysters in clusters of two or three ; a stone or an 

 old shell with as many as a dozen little ones adhering 

 to it; perhaps a few oysters that, in spite of the con- 

 tinuous dredging, have by chance been allowed to come 

 to maturity in their native beds. 



On a busy day the pails are soon filled again, and it 

 becomes necessary to pack away some of the brood. The 

 men gauge it very carefully before they empty it into 

 sacks it will be measured again by the buyer, but they 

 like to know how much they are earning. 



"Two wash already!" A "wash" is five gallons, and 

 will be bought by the cultivator for four shillings. On 

 two wash, then, our three men have earned two shillings 

 apiece, and the boat another two shillings ; if the owner 

 is the skipper, so much the better for him. 



After a while it is seen that the supply of brood is 

 dwindling ; the patch, over which the dredges are being 

 towed by the gently drifting boat, is exhausted ; or 

 perhaps only mussels are coming up a sure sign that 

 there is little brood about. Then the helm is unlashed, 

 the boat puts about, and makes for another likely spot. 

 Here, perhaps, the brood is more plentiful than ever, and 

 very soon another three or four wash are put into the 

 bags. But now the men are beginning to grumble ; the 

 wind has dropped, and the boat scarcely moves at all, 

 hampered as she is by the heavy dredges. There is just 

 the hope that, though she may not bear six, she can yet 

 manage three, so each man tries working with but one 

 dredge. The plan answers perhaps, but the crew are only 



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