230 NORTH SEA FISHERS AND FIGHTERS 



fish had been thrown about in the most wonderful 

 way. She was smashed and hammered terribly, and 

 how she escaped was a mystery. That will give you 

 some idea of the way the old smacks were punished in 

 a North Sea breeze. 



11 Well, we kept the Uncle Tom with her nose pointed 

 towards the coast. It was perishingly cold and we were 

 sodden to the skin. All the food we could lay hands on 

 it wasn't much was soaked by salt water. 



" At last I saw ahead the cliffs down by Flamborough 

 Head and knew that the most dangerous part of the 

 business had to be got through. Ever since we started 

 I'd kept my head and nerve and strength. I wasn't 

 scared in any way I dare say I was kept fit by remem- 

 bering that if I lost my nerve we were done for. Besides, 

 a North Sea smacksman isn't supposed to be upset by 

 any breeze that blows. 



" The only chance of safety was in getting the smack 

 into the shelter of Bridlington Bay ; but with such a 

 tremendous run of sea the chances were equal that in 

 rounding the Head she would be capsized. I got the 

 Uncle Tom down off the Head ; then I saw that it would 

 be almost suicide to try and run her round. There was 

 only one thing to do, and that was to wait for the turn 

 of the tide, when the water would be a bit smoother 

 and there would be a chance of slipping into the Bay. 

 But even when I got into the slack water I didn't feel 

 that it would be safe to try and run the Uncle Tom into 

 the Bay, so there was nothing for it but to dodge about 

 and wait for my chance to come. 



" I let that tide go past, and the second, the third, and 

 the fourth ; and for two perishing days and nights the 



