AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2717 



give us permission to stow our mackerel down." "Well," says the mate, 

 "this is tall" ; and they took on board the mackerel. 



Q. As one of the crew, you were entitled to your share I A. I lost 

 my share of that catch. We did not know whose mackerel were taken. 

 We do not put our private mark on them until they are headed up. . 



Q. How did you tell them I A. We had them separated. I told the 

 skipper not to mix them all up, but to take part of each man's catch. 



Q. How could you tell whose catch it was? A. We have them all 

 separated, and a space left between. 



Q. Then you knew what barrels belonged to each of the crew ? A. 

 Xo ; because he mixed them all up he was so agitated aud scared. 



Q. That was before the cutter got hold of them at all 1 A. We had 

 them all right before the cutter got hold of them. 



Q. Were they all headed up ? A. No ; but they were in barrels, the 

 fish being piled up, and heaping over to a considerable extent, when 

 Captain Darby came on board. 



Q. You mean that the barrels were full ? A. Yes ; and heaped up. 



Q. That was all done wheu you were running from Margaree to Port 

 Hood ? A. No ; we proceeded to salt them in Port Hood. We had 

 them all in salt barrels ; we were all night dressing them ; and by the 

 time we got to Port Hood we had them all split, gutted, and in water; 

 we then commenced to salt them ; and when we had all but 2 barrels 

 salted we saw the cutter coming. 



Q. To whom did these three barrels belong? A. I could not tell. 



Q. Had they been kept separate ? A. We had them all salted but 

 those. 



Q. Do you know to whom these 2 barrels belonged ? A. No ; I could 

 not tell exactly. 



Q. Did you know at the time ? A. No. 



Q. Then the fish were all mixed up at that time ? A. We do not look 

 out for each other's mackerel, but for our own; and I looked out for 

 mine. 



Q. Had any salt been put in these barrels at the time ? A. All my 

 fish were then under salt. 



Q. Were they in barrels ? A. Yes. 



Q. You knew your own barrels ? A. Yes if they have not been dis- 

 turbed ; I knew them as they were when I put them up, before they 

 were disturbed. 



Q. How could they be disturbed when once in the barrels ? A. The 

 barrels were shifted round. The skipper got excited. 



Q. What were they shifted round for? Were they not shifted round 

 because the officer of the cutter came on board ? A. After the skipper 

 came from the cutter he took anything and everytnmg, he was so ex- 

 cited. 



Q. You mean that he slung the barrels about? A. He took them as 

 they came and headed them up himself; that is, what Captain Darby 

 got the rest were not headed up. 



Q. How many barrels of mackerel had you on board besides those 

 which you gave to Captain Darby ? A. We had 140 on deck and in the 

 hold before we gave him any. 



Q. If you had really been fishing within 3 miles of the shore, and 

 you cannot swear that you were not, he let you ott' pretty easily, instead 

 taking your whole cargo and your vessel besides ? A. He took just what 

 we caught inshore. 



Q. That was getting off pretty easily ? A. That was the first year I 

 "was in the bay. 



