128 FISHERMEN'S OWN BOOK. 



start off, half naked, to search for the drifting property. But, to crown all, 

 a big school of dogfish struck on the fishing ground and drove all other 

 kinds of fish away, rendering useless all further attempts to complete our 

 trip. As might have been expected, the more credulous ascribed these un- 

 fortunate incidents to having sailed on Friday. 



On another occasion I began my year's work upon a Friday early in Jan- 

 uary, and it so happened that we left home on the same "unlucky" day 

 every trip but one during the whole year. As we were successful in all in- 

 stances, our crew came to think that Friday was a lucky sailing day. 



Second — A belief in "Jonahs." A Jonah may be something animate or 

 inanimate, or even the result of the actions or accidents of persons ; in fact, 

 almost everything that is supposed to bring ill luck is called a Jonah. Thus, 

 a vessel known to be unfortunate is said to be a Jonah ; it is often difficult 

 to obtain a crew of good men for her, if men are scarce, although she may 

 be well adapted for the business in which she is engaged. Equal trouble is 

 also sometimes experienced by expert fishermen in securing a berth on 

 board of a fishing vessel, because they possess the unenviable reputation of 

 being a Jonah. Of this I will speak further on. 



As to the vessels, it occasionally happens, curiously enough, that some of 

 them meet with ill fortune for several years in succession, and under such 

 circumstances that, to believers, the evidence of their being Jonahs is as 

 strong as "proofs of Holy Writ." 



I recall a singular circumstance of this kind, with the particulars of which 

 I was familiar at the time they occurred. Several years ago a new vessel 

 was brought to Gloucester from the port where she was built. She was 

 of the largest class employed in the fisheries — a beauty in model and rig — 

 and the skipper, who was a young man, and part owner, naturally felt a 

 commendable pride in the fine schooner which he commanded. One day, 

 however, while this vessel was being fitted for her first trip, an acquaintance 

 of the captain said to him, "I'm sorry you have had that vessel built." 

 When asked for his reasons, he continued, "I have known the man who 

 built her to launch niore than twenty schooners during the past few years, 

 and none of them ever made a dollar for their owners, while few of them 

 have lived more than two or three years, being either wrecked on the shore 

 or foundered at sea." Strange to say, that, for the nineteen months the 

 first skipper sailed in her, "there was nae luck aboot tiie house." This was 

 exceedingly trying to one who had i)re\ious]y been fortunate and who felt 

 a pride in his profession. Finally, becoming disgusted and somewhat dis- 

 heartened by his ill success and unrequited labors, he sold out his share of 

 the vessel and left her, almost convinced that what had been told him by 

 his friend was not very far from the truth. 



The sad sequel remains to be told. I'he schooner — not yet two years 



