108 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 
wheel an hour earlier than the preceding day. The next day g has the wheel between 5 and 6, and 
h omitting, ¢ takes the wheel from 6 to 7. 
The watches were arranged so that dorymates watched together every other day. Thus, in 
the table, suppose that ¢ and fare dorymates. The first day e and f watch together, the second 
day f and g, while the third day e and f are together again. Each watch called the next watch. 
The order of the watches was decided in the following manner: A hat was held crown down, one 
man from each dory putting a finger upon the border of the opening, while one of the others, com- 
mencing at random, counted the fingers in succession unti] he reached the number nine. Finger 
number nine being withdrawn, the counting commenced again with one and continued to nine, 
which was also withdrawn. This continued until no fingers were on the hat. The owner of the 
first finger withdrawn, together with his dorymate, had the first watch, the owner of the second 
finger withdrawn, with his dorymate, the second watch, and so on through the whole. 
I have said that the watches were two hours long, and this was true while we were on the pas- 
sage out and back, but not so the intervening time; for wbile we were anchored in the Strait no 
watch was kept, because there was little or no danger. When, however, we shifted position, and 
were expecting to anchor in a very few hours, the time would be divided into twelve equal parts, 
each man taking one part at the wheel. Thus once or twice the watches were only ten or fifteen 
minutes long. = 
The passage from Gloucester to Holsteinborg lasted twenty days, and was along the coast of 
Nova Scotia through the Gut of Canso, northward in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, within sight of 
the western coasts of Cape Breton and Newfoundland, and thence, through the Straits of Belle 
Isle, into the Atlantic and Davis’ Strait. The pleasanter days were occupied by the crew in fixing 
the dories and fishing-tackle. The crew were very much like bees. On warm, pleasant, sunny 
days, they were all activity; other days, when it was cold and rainy, they were in their bunks most 
of the time from breakfast until dinner, and during the rest of the time, with few exceptions, they 
did little or nothing. This was not on account of any disposition to shirk work, but rather because 
of there being only enough to do to occupy them on pleasant days; for, after the fishing commenced, 
they showed themselves to be good, steady workers. 
The duties devolving upon the men while on the way north were the sailing of the vessel, fixing 
the dories, and rigging the trawls. The first was of course attended to principally by the differ- 
ent watches, leaving much time for the others. The fixing of the dories did not take very much 
time, as it only consisted in making thole-pins, three seats, and two vertical partitions for each 
boat, and winding the oars with oakum to prevent them from wearing out. The vertical partitions, 
like the seats, were movable, and were used to divide the dory into three parts. Typically, the 
stern apartment held the trawls, the central one the fish, while the bow was reserved for the 
anchors; but whenever the fish were numerous they were put wherever room could be found for 
them. 
The rigging of the trawls, however, kept the men busy much longer than fixing the dories. 
Four skates had to be rigged for each dory, and all of these were of new material, excepting a 
large part of the lines to which the hooks are fastened. These short lines, called gangings, had 
been for two years kept in bundles, with the hooks protected from moisture by a canvas or rubber 
covering. These must, of course, be examined, in order to test the strength of each ganging, and 
to free the hooks from rust. Besides this, most of the hooks had to be taken from the line and 
refastened. This last operation is called “ ganging the hooks.” 
The gangings finished, the ground-line next occupies the fisherman’s attention. This being 
