FRESH-HALIBUT FISHERY. 75 



clang of the cook's dinner bell, calling us away from " straightening up things on deck." The 

 crew is divided into two gangs for meals, the table in the forecastle not being large enough to 

 accommodate all. One of the second gang now came aft saying, "I'll keep her along, skipper, 

 while you get dinner;" whereupon I gave up the wheel, which I had held since starting, and 

 went with the first gang down to dinner. For dinner we had the usual first meal at sea, which, 

 hastily prepared, generally consists of boiled salt beef and potatoes, with biscuits, pilot-bread and 

 butter, strong tea, and fried beefsteak. This bill of fare is very much changed as soon as the 

 " doctor " (cook) has time to prepare a greater variety, and, though beefsteak or other fresh meat 

 is rarely seen after the first few days out, the tabte is well provided with plenty of good raised 

 bread, cakes, pies, doff, &c., and last, though not least, the finest fish are.served up in a manner 

 rarely equaled elsewhere. 



After dinner the patent log was put out, a note made of the bearing and distance of the land, 

 and then everybody was called aft to " thumb the hat," in order that the watch might be set. All 

 hands stand around an inverted hat, taking hold of it so that their thumbs are on top of the 

 rim. The skipper then turns away his head, and, reaching over, touches one of the thumbs, and 

 then counts around from left to right any number previously decided upon. The first one that the 

 count reaches has the first watch. The counting then begins at the next thumb with "one," and 

 so on until each man knows his watch, and with the injunction, " Remember now, whom you call," 

 the performance ends, and the one having the first watch takes the wheel. 



On board of trawling vessels it is very common for dorymates to stand watch together on a 

 passage, and in this case only half of the crew "thumb the hat," they choosing their mates to 

 stand with them. After the watch was set most of the men turned in and took a nap, while one 

 or two busied themselves ganging hooks, &c. 



At 3 p. m., the wind having increased to a smart breeze, we took in the staysail and gaff- 

 topsail. At 5 p. m., barometer 30.15 ; smurry -looking under the sun. The wind increased some 

 after 5, and the sea made up sharp. 



A little before 7 o'clock p. m. our vessel took a heavy lurch to leeward, sending her lee rail so 

 far u^der that, when she straightened up, the deck was nearly full, and several bucketsful came down 

 the companion-way over the lower cabin door, which sets about 18 inches above the deck, wetting 

 the bed-clothes in the lee-bunks, and also the boots lying on the floor. This episode called forth 

 exclamations more forcible than polite from the occupants of the lee bunks, and shouts of laughter 

 from their companions who could see only the ludicrous side of the accident. The sea by this time 

 had risen sharp and choppy, and so frequent were the lurches the main-boom often going under 

 to the slings that we soon after double reefed the mainsail. This done, I went below for the 

 night) giving the usual order to " call me if there is any change in the force or direction of the 

 wind." 



After the reefed mainsail was set we hauled the log and found that we had made an average 

 of 10 knots since we passed Thatcher's Island. Barometer at 8 p. m., 30.05. Strong breeze all the 

 latter part of this p. m. 



Saturday, January 25, 1879. The wind had moderated some at 7 a. m., and hauled to WSW. 

 Barometer at this hour, 29.70 ; sky overcast. We shook the reef out of the mainsail and set the 

 light sails. 



Soon after breakfast the hatches were taken off and the men took the trawls on deck and 

 began rigging them up by bending the gangings, that had been unbent on the last passage home, 

 into the beckets on the ground line. Each hook before being attached to the trawl undergoes a 

 critical examination, and if dull must be touched up with a file, if crooked, straightened into 



