

PRIME AND OFFAL 107 



When the cod were in the water they spread themselves 

 out in a circle, looking like a large cartwheel without the 

 tire, only, the spokes were much more numerous. When 

 the cod were hauled up into the air they looked like a 

 rope of gigantic onions, and the cods' tails seemed very 

 sore and much lacerated by the string which fastened 

 them to the rope. Rightly enough, Buckland thought 

 that this practice was very cruel. 



These welled smacks cost considerably more than 

 the ordinary trawlers, and their maintenance, too, involved 

 a heavier expenditure. It may be remarked that the 

 ordinary type of fishing- vessel was called " dry- 

 bottomed," signifying that they had no well. As a rule, 

 a cod-smack carried nine or eleven hands, about half of 

 whom were apprentices of varying ages. In the case 

 of these vessels only the skipper was paid on the share 

 principle, although that principle became general with 

 trawlers. The skipper of a codman received nine per 

 cent, of the proceeds of the voyage, the rest of the hands 

 being paid weekly wages. The mate received twenty- 

 four shillings, and the men twenty-two shillings each, 

 while the apprentices were paid from five pounds to 

 twelve pounds yearly according to their length of 

 services. In addition to the wages the owner found 

 provision for all hands, nothing being deducted for food 

 from the wages. This, of course, made a considerable 

 difference to the fishermen, especially those who were 

 unmarried and who found it necessary to pay for lodgings 

 only when they were ashore. While in no respect lavish 

 or even liberal, the wages, taken in conjunction with the 

 food and the floating home, such as it was, at least com- 

 pared favourably with the earnings of ordinary working- 



