THE COD AND COD—-FISHERY 311 
he can either ship for wages, or engage on shares paid 
out of the “voyage.” The pay of the shipped man has risen 
to $100, and even to $130, with food for the season. For 
that sum he must do everything the master tells him that 
will benefit the voyage, and may be called on to work all 
hours of the night and day from the first of May to the first 
of November. It increases the ‘“ gamble’’ considerably to 
have all shipped men. If you ‘miss the fish” and earn 
nothing, you are still liable for all wages, but if you strike 
the fish, you will make very large profits. For a man is 
well worth $300 in a good year. Little as their wage seems, 
most of the men prefer employment under this system. 
They at least will have flour and molasses for their families, 
whatever happens, these wages, less advances for oil- 
skins, boots, etc., being always paid in cash. 
The shareman in this country usually agrees for “half 
his hand.’”’ That is, the catch is divided by the number of 
men, including the owner or planter, and each shareman 
gets half a share. He has no expenses except clothing. 
Often the planter cannot, however, obtain men on these 
terms, and is obliged to take a full-share man. These 
men feed and clothe themselves and provide their own salt, 
but take a full share of fish. The more men a planter 
engages, the more fish he can handle and expect to catch, 
but the more numerous are the shares into which the catch 
must be divided. On an average, the shareman gets every 
eighth fish out of the trap for himself. It has often puzzled 
me how the hired man with $100, less expenses, could live, 
much less feed his family; at best he can scarcely do more 
than merely exist. 
The following statements taken at random will illustrate 
