THE COD-FISHERY 



in his boat, has not to share the proceeds of his catch 

 with a companion. 



French trawling, on the other hand, requires a crew 

 of two; one to attend to the tackle, the other to scull 

 and " make himself generally useful." In many respects 

 it is only a development of the old Scotch and French 

 long-line fishing. From each smack about half a dozen 

 dories go off in the morning ; arrived at the part where 

 the trawls are set, the men can see a number of small 

 tarred kegs floating, that look like the ordinary buoys 

 to which boats are moored, but for the fact that each 

 of them carries a tiny flag which is of some distinctive 

 colour, or else has a name or number painted on it. 

 With the same keenness of perception that enables them 

 to recognise their own vessel among the thousands that 

 drift or lie at anchor on the Banks, the boatmen quickly 

 pick out certain buoys which they know to be theirs. 



And here let me say that, among the fishermen of 

 civilised countries, there is surprisingly little piracy ; i.e. 

 interference with, or robbery of, other men's tackle. Of 

 course if a Frenchman or a Yankee " goes and puts " his 

 lobster-pots on a Canadian ground he must take his 

 chance of the trouble that ensues. But, generally speak- 

 ing, the fisherman, when not restrained by honesty or 

 fear (and, on the Grand Banks, to pull up someone else's 

 gear is to get a knife into your ribs sooner or later) is 

 held back from this deadly sin by his superstition that 

 if he steals another man's catch or tackle "it will come 

 home to him." 



To return to our dories a very close observer might 



104 



