270 
IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
of these out-of-the-way spots, sees distress signals 
flying, which turn out to be made by shipwrecked 
Japanese. Still, they continue to fit out, encouraged 
by the few who are successful. Owing to the 
Government subsidy, the small cost of their vessels, 
cheap food, and small wages, the Japanese can often 
make a profitable venture where a foreigner would 
make a dead loss. The Japanese, like the Anglo- 
Saxon, is fond of adventure ; the life on board these 
vessels suits him; the gambling element in the 
venture, and the visiting of new or unknown places, 
appeal to him. He has spells of hard work and easy 
times, and in addition he gets — what is nearly 
always obtainable on these trips—a bellyful of 
good food and the capacity to enjoy it through the 
healthy open-air life he leads. 
Yes, the life is a fascinating one, and I regret 
that I ever gave it up. I found life worth living 
during the twenty odd years I spent in hunting, and 
whatever other people may have to say about the 
morality of the calling, it is greatly to be preferred 
to a life spent in cheating your neighbour in trade, or 
in other sharp practices which are so prevalent in 
these days. 
