44 NORTH SEA FISHERS AND FIGHTERS 



incessant cannibalism amongst fishes and the remorseless 

 scooping of the trawl has not apparently affected the 

 incredible population of the deep. 



Death, damage to property, and injury to person 

 have been at all times associated with North Sea trawling. 

 The end comes so swiftly and unexpectedly, too, in such 

 terrible and pitiless fashion, and often there is no avoid- 

 ing it. Damage is done by every gale that blows, and 

 daily in the fleets there are greater or lesser injuries to 

 men and boys. Seas sweeping fiercely over or crashing 

 on smacks and steamboats have crushed the life out of 

 thousands of splendid fellows ; collisions in fog or clear 

 weather have sent one or both of the colliding craft to 

 the bottom of the sea, and there have been more fishing 

 vessels lost, with their crews, because of liners and cargo 

 steamers driving over the North Sea, than have been 

 ever reported or will be ever known. 



I remember being in a fishing-vessel south of the 

 Dogger, in the early spring, amusing myself and at the 

 same time doing useful work by blowing the trumpet 

 which served as syren, for there was a dense fog, and 

 we had little or no way. 



The fog abruptly lifted, and so near to us that I read 

 the name on her bow quite easily without the help of 

 glasses, was a German Atlantic liner, driving full speed 

 ahead and making never a sound by way of signal. She 

 went past and was enveloped in the clammy air. 



I was standing near the skipper. " Well ? " I said. 

 " A near enough shave ? " 



"Ay," he answered bitterly. "A few seconds late 

 in gettin' where we are, an' we shouldn't ha' bin talkin' 

 now. They slice you an' slink away. They're too 



