MEN AND MANNERS 67 



Some of the cabins are characteristically fitted up ; and 

 within them, on idle days, when Breydon does not invite 

 them, these hardy, honest fellows draw together and discuss 

 things avine, piscine, and maritime. One who is interested in 

 the wild life of our local waters, and who has gained their 

 confidence, may find in their society much entertainment, 

 and listen to many an interesting yarn. 



I found the boathouse door of Number 4 unfastened, and 

 thin, blue smoke curling out of a tall tin chimney. It was a 

 bitter cold January Sunday afternoon in 1907 the tide was 

 running out, and "Strike" Sharman, with his son William, 

 had been out among the ice in the grey morning, and done 

 execution among the wildfowl. They, and one or two 

 others, were recounting their doings of the morning, 

 and comparing present days with the past. Considerably 

 more than fifty years had " Strike " known Breydon ; he had 

 been all his life a ship-caulker, and lamented that, since the 

 days of iron ships, things had got slow enough in the caulk- 

 ing line. 



" Yes," said I, " I can remember, as a youngster, the clink- 

 clink of the caulking tools in the early morning, before the 

 noise of traffic deadened its music. There is no sound on 

 earth that one can compare with that queer clink-clink, 

 clinking!" And I can recall vividly the strange scene of 

 vessels heeled over until their keels came up to the surface, 

 and the rows of blue-jacketed caulkers working on them, 

 who were quite a community by themselves ; but to-day it is 

 a rare thing to see a wooden ship undergoing repairs. 



" You've seen strange things on these hulls," I remarked. 



" Aye ! " said " Strike." " I've seen great goose barnacles that 

 long (measuring on his arm), and mussels and weeds cover- 

 ing these ships' bottoms, and fish pulling at them. I've dipped 

 my arm in after grey mullet that were feeding on the green 

 weed and things, but 'though I've touched 'em I never could 

 lay hold of one." 



" I've seen as many as eight mullet in my time," jibed in 

 William, the son, " after we've docked a ship and pumped the 

 dock out, laying kicking on the bottom." 



While they were lighting up pipes again, I could not resist 

 taking stock of the cabin. On shields hanging on the 

 varnished wall were sundry heads, wings, and feet of wild- 



