26 NORTH SEA FISHERS AND FIGHTERS 



it as well as you, 1 at which I stepped back and, being 

 muffled with my coat, struck him one blow with my 

 flat hand. He turned up his eyes, biting his tobacco- 

 pipe, twisting his hands as if he had been troubled 

 with the falling sickness, and fell on my foot with 

 some three or four drops of blood out of his ear. 

 I got him laid on the settle. After a while he rose 

 and went to the fire and asked me leave to go home, 

 and I sent one with him to light him, after which I 

 never heard of him till he was laid out for dead. 

 Then the Governor, without any examination before 

 a court-martial or himself, disarmed me and delivered 

 me over to the civil power, who forthwith sent me 

 to prison, where I had still remained, had you not 

 bailed me. I hope you will labour for my trial at 

 our next Michaelmas sessions." 



In those primitive times ships blundered north and 

 south as best they could, steering by landmarks when 

 they were able to see them and anchoring when there 

 was fog or bad weather. But, in spite of all their caution, 

 mariners were caught in the hard gales which arose so 

 swiftly on those treacherous waters, and great numbers 

 of vessels and their crews were lost. Navigation was 

 largely a matter of guesswork, and frequently a master 

 was hopelessly bewildered as to his position, and conse- 

 quently came to grief. 



In November 1676 the Success of London was 

 wrecked off Yarmouth. She was bound for Venice 

 with 800 barrels of red herrings and about twenty tons 

 of lead. The night was very dark and a tempestuous 

 south-east wind was blowing. The master judged that 

 he was ten leagues at sea when, as a matter of fact, he 



