TANGLED LINES 283 



This would be just the advice to give a man 

 that knew anything about fishing, which our 

 mate didn't, nor would he let those that did 

 take his place. So as a result, when the 

 captain hooked one about the same time, 

 they ran across the track of each other and 

 made a fine muddle. Backwards and forwards 

 they went, as if in a country dance, which 

 induced me to call what the boys used to 

 when they got their lines tangled, " first cut 

 of a green cheese." The fish had nearly 

 wound up the slack of the lines, and the only 

 possible way out of the difficulty was to drag 

 them in together, which caused a lot of merri- 

 ment for the whole of us. In fact, by this 

 time we were in great glee. 



Think of eight men being confined for 

 eighteen days on a space 25 by 100 feet, and 

 not taking advantage of such a spree and 

 ridiculous outcome as this. The old captain 

 laughed till he cried, and that sober old mate 

 actually stopped swearing and started into 

 laughing also. 



Well, half an hour passed before the 

 lines could be cleared and the baits trailing 

 again. All this while the excitement was 



