WE GO A-FISHING. 119 



perilous adventures. As a matter of fact, al- 

 though I have followed the doings of the bay 

 oystermen with considerable interest, I have 

 found no evidences of exceptional hardship. 

 It is cold work sometimes, but as compared to 

 the work of a city car-driver it is sport. Al- 

 though each oyster smack has a comfortable 

 little cabin warmed by a stove, it is a common 

 sight to see the oystermen eating their dinners 

 in the sunlight on deck rather than keep to the 

 cabin on a blustering December day. The 

 worst that can be said of the life of the profes- 

 sional oysterman is that it does not pay, and 

 even this may be called in question. The crew 

 of a smack devoted to fishing in the bay, 

 whether for bony fish for the oil factories, or 

 for oysters, usually consists of two men and a 

 boy ; the boy sails the boat, while the men at- 

 tend to the nets or the dredges. The smack is 

 worth from $600 to $1,200, according to size 

 and appointment. I have known the profits of 

 a season, which begins in June and ends when 

 the bay freezes over in January, to be $2,500 

 for one smack. The fishing lasts till October, 

 when the oystering begins. The boats are 

 usually owned by the men who sail them, and 



